Division  ^  ^'^ 

Section         -  '^/GZ. 


V 


SATURDAY  NIGfT'*-^^^^^-^ 
THOUGHTS 


A  Series  of  Dissertations  on  Spiritual,  Historical 
and  Philosophic  Themes 


BY  ORSON  F.  WHITNEY 

Of  the  Council  of  the  Twelve,  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints 


SALT  LAKE  CITY,  UTAH: 

THE  DESERET  NEWS 

1921 


Copyiight,   1921 
HEBER   T.   GRANT 
Trustee-in-Triist. 


FOREWORD 

Most  of  the  contents  of  this  volume  appeared  orig- 
inally as  a  series  of  articles  in  Saturday  issues  of  the 
Deseret  Evening  News,  beginning  October  26,  1918,  and 
ending  May  31,  1919.  As  stated  by  the  News,  these  arti- 
cles "were  designed  to  fill  in  some  degree  a  spiritual 
void  and  meet  a  special  need  of  those  who  were  in  the 
habit  of  attending  Sunday  services,  but  were  denied  that 
privilege  by  the  prevalence  of  the  influenza  epidemic." 
That  epidemic  caused  a  suspension  of  public  gatherings 
for  several  months,  and  even  made  necessary  the  post- 
ponement of  one  General  Conference  of  the  Church. 

It  was  during  this  period  of  suspension  that  these 
contributions  to  the  Church  organ  began.  They  were 
given  place  on  the  editorial  page,  and  subsequently  the 
News  said  of  them :  "These  'Thoughts'  have  subserved 
a  far  more  than  temporary  and  passing  purpose — they 
have  stimulated  study  and  deep  reflection,  and  they  have 
been  greatly  enjoyed  and  prized  by  the  thoughtful  reader 
everywhere." 

Among  those  wdio  uttered  similar  sentiments  was 
President  George  li.  Brimhall,  of  the  Brigham  Young 
University,  who,  in  a  letter  to  the  author,  expressed 
the   hope    that   provision    would    be   made    for   publication 


4  rORElVORD 

of  the  essays  in  l^ook  form,  "thus  adding-  one  more  choice 
volume  to  T.atter-day  Saint  literature,  especially  suited 
to  the  needs  of  students  at  hom,e  ajtid  missionaries 
ahroad."  Like  expressions  came  from  President  He1:)er 
J.  Grant,  Senator  Reed  Smoot,  President  John  A. 
A\'idtsoe,  of  the  University  of  Utah,  and  many  other 
prominent  people. 

In  response  to  this  cordial,  widespread  sentiment  of 
appreciation,  and  under  the  sanction  of  the  General 
Authorities  of  the  Church,  the  "Saturday  Night 
"riioughts"  were  compiled  for  republication,  and  the  re- 
sult is  here  presented. 
May,  1921  THE  AUTHOR. 


CONTENTS 

Part  One — Our  Place  In  History 

Page 

Article  One:     The  Saturday  Evening  of  Time    9 

Article  Two:     The  Watch   On  The  Tower    14 

Article  Three:     Concerning  Names  and  Vocations   19 

Article  Four:     The  Choice  Seer  24 

Article  Five :     The  Land  of  Zion   ' 31 

Part    Two — Seership    and    Prophecy 

Article    Six :      What    Joseph    Beheld    39 

Article  Seven:     What  Joseph  Foretold   48 

Article  Eight:     Looking  Westward    55 

Article  Nine :     The  I^lace  of  Safety 61 

Part  Three. — A  Marvel  and  a  Wonder 

Article  Ten:     The  Wisdom  That  Perishes   Ti 

Article  Eleven :     The  God  Story   80 

Article  Twelve:     The  Great  Vicissitudes  ,  ., 87 

Article  Thirteen:     The  Gospel  Dispensations   96 

Part  Four. — A  Glance  Down  the  Ages 

Article   Fourteen:     The  Adamic  Age    105 

Article  Fifteen:     Enoch  and  His  City   112 

Article  Sixteen:     Noah  and  the  Deluge    118 

Article  Seventeen:     Abraham  and  the  House  of  Israel 124 

Article  Eighteen:     ]\Ioses  and  Aaron    132 

Article  Nineteen:     To  the  Ends  of  the  Earth   138 

Part  Five. — ^In  Time's  Meridian 

Article  Twenty:     The   Lamb  ,of  God    149 

Article  Twenty-one:     The  Special  Witnesses   157 

Part  Six. — The  Era  of  Restitution 

Article  Twenty-two:     The   Call  of  the  Shepherd    167 

Article  Twenty-three:     The  Zion  of  Latter  Days  V] 


6  CONTENTS. 

Page 

Article  Twenty-four:     Redemption  by  Power   185 

Article  Twenty-five.:     Clearing  the  Way  191 

Article  Twenty-six:     God's  Hand  Up,on  the  Nations 198 

Article  Twenty-seven:     The  Consummation    205 

Part  Seven. — Powers  and  Principles 

Article  Twenty-eight:     The   Priesthood    215 

Article  Twenty-nine:     Church  Government   222 

Article  Thirty:     The  Law  of  Obedience   230 

Article  Thirty-one:     The  Divine  Doorway    236 

Article  Thirty-tw.o:     The  Second  Birth    243 

Article  Thirty-three:     Meaning  and  Mode  of  Baptism   251 

Article  Thirty-four:    The  Gospel's  Accessories  261 

Article  Thirty-five:    What  Are  Miracles? 271 

Article  Thirty-six:     The  Mainspring  of  Power  278 

Part  Eight. — Beyond  the   Horizon 

Article   Thirty-seven:     The   Spirit  World    287 

Article  Thirty-eight:     Spirit  Promptings    294 

Article  Thirty-nine:     Do  the  Dead  Return?   304 

Article  Forty:     The  Goal  Eternal   • 314 


NAMES  AND  ABBREVIATIONS 

The  usual  Bible  abbreviations  are  retained. 

Hist.  Ch.  stands  for  History  of  the  Church. 

D.  &  C.  for  Doctrine  and  Covenants. 

Nephi,  Jacob,  Omni,  Mprmon,  Mosiah,  Alma  and  Ether,  will 
be  recognized  as  names  belonging  to  the  Book  of  Mormon. 

The  Book  of  M,oses,  shortened  to  Moses,  and  the  Book  of 
Abraham,  abbreviated  to  Abr.,  will  be  found  within  the  lids  of 
the  Pearl  of  Great  Price. 

Other  abbreviations,  such  as  vol.  for  volume,  p.  or  pp.  for 
page  or  pages,  v.  ,or  vv.  for  verse  or  verses  and  ib.  for  ibid  (the 
same)  are  in  such  common  use  as  scarcely  to  require  mention. 


PART  ONE 


OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY 


Saturday  Night  Thoughts 


ARTICLE  ONE. 

•    The  Saturday  Evening  of  Time. 

The  Sixth  Day. — Saturday,  in  Christian  lands,  is  a 
day  set  apart  for  house-cleaning,  a  time  for  "putting  things 
to  rights,"  in  preparation  for  the  Sabbath,  the  sacred  day  of 
rest.  Preliminary  to  the  condition  of  purity,  order  and 
quietness  .especially  desirable  on  that  day,  the  house,  in 
domestic  parlance,  is  "upset" — "turned  topsy-turvy."  Furn- 
iture is  moved  and  dusted,  floors  are  scrubbed,  windows 
cleaned,  and  stoves  polished  ;  the  body  is  bathed,  all  rub- 
bish burned,  and  everything  done  that  ought  to  be  done,  so 
that  when  night  is  past  and  glorious  morning  dawns,  the 
rising  sun  can  smile  approvingly  on  a  renovated,  sweet  and 
wholesome  scene,  and  the  Lord's  Day  be  kept,  as  He  in- 
tended it  should  be,  in  cleanliness,  which  is  "next  to  god- 
Imess."  Is  there  not  something  symbolical  in  all  this — some- 
tl'ing  suggestive  of  things  higher? 

All  Things  Symbolical. — "All  things  are  in  a  scale," 
says  Plato ;  and  begin  where  we  will,  ascend  and  ascend.  All 
things  are  symbolical ;  and  what  we  call  results  are  begin- 
nings."" If  this  he  true,  then  is  there  a  symbolism  in  small 
things  as  well  as  in  great,  in  endings  as  well  as  beginnings, 
including  the  ending  and  beginning  of  the  week.  Satur- 
day and  Sunday  are  both  symbolical,  each  suggesting  and 
pointing  to  something  above  and  beyond. 

a,   "Plato,"    Emerson's   "Representative    Men,"   Altemus    edition 
1895,  p.  71, 


10  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

The  World's  Sabbath. — Who  among  men  first  recog- 
nized in  the  seventh  day  a  symbol  of  Christ's  Millennial 
reign,  I  know  not.  The  reign  itself  was  the  theme  of  a 
revelation  as  early  as  the  days  of  Enoch/'  But  it  is  obvious 
that  the  symbolism  of  the  seventh  day  does  not  stand  alone. 
The  idea  of  a  greater  Sunday  carries  witli  it  the  idea  of 
,a  greater  Saturday,  of  which  all  lesser  Saturdays  are  typi- 
cal ;  a  time  of  agitation,  of  strenuous  toil  and  strife,  dur- 
irig  which  all  will  be  made  ready  for  the  blest  sabbatic 
era,  the  period  of  universal  peace.  The  World's  Saturday 
Night  must  necessarily  precede  the  World's  Sunday  Morn- 
ing.' 

The  Apocalyptic  Book. — The  symbolism  of  the  Sab- 
b.ith,  and  the  symbolism  of  other  days  as  well,  is  plainly  in- 
dicated in  the  writings  of  Joseph  Smith.  In  one  place  he 
says — or  the  Lord  says  through  him :  "All  things  have 
their  likeness,  and  are  made  to  bear  record  of  Me."^  We 
need  not  be  surprised,  therefore,  to  find  among  the  Proph- 
et's teachings  this — I  quote  now  from  his  Key  to  the 
Apocalypse: 

"What  are  we  to  understand  by  the  book  which  John 
saw,  which  was  sealed  on  the  back  with  seven  seals  P*^ 

"We  are  to  understand  that  it  contains  the  revealed  will, 
mysteries,  and  works  of  God ;  the  hidden  things  of  his  econ- 
omy concerning  this  earth  during  the  seven  thousand  years 
of  its  continuance,  or  its  temporal  existence. 


b,  Moses  7:48,  61,  64. 

c,  "Rab1)inical  commentators  have  expressed  the  opinion  that 
after  six  millenniums  of  years,  there  will  come  a  seventh,  with  rest 
and  peace.  Paul  (2  Thess.  1  :7)  points  to  the  coming  of  Christ  as 
the  time  when  the  Saints  would  find  'rest;'  and  he  also  argues 
(Hel).  4:1-11)  that  there  remaineth  a  'rest'  to  the  people  of  God. 
The  word  he  uses  means  a  'sabbathism'  or  salibath  observance,  and 
he  refers  to  the  coming  of  the  Lord.''— J.  ]\I.  Sjodahl, 

d,  Moses  6  :63. 
i\  Rev.  5  and  6, 


rim  SATURDAY  ErENIXG  OF  TIME.         11 

"What  are  we  to  understaiKl  by  the  sounding  of  the 
trumpets,  mentioned  in  the  8th  ehapter  of  Revelations? 

"We  are  to  understand  that  as  God  made  the  world  in 
six  days,  and  on  the  seventh  day  he  finished  his  work  and 
sanctified  it,  and  also  formed  man  out  of  the  dust  of  the 
ec'rth;  even  so,  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventh  thousand 
years  will  the  Lord  God  sanctify  the  earth,  and  complete 
tlie  salvation  of  man,  and  judge  all  things — unto  the  end 
of  all  things;  and  the  sounding  of  the  trumpets  of  the  seven 
angels  are  the  preparing  and  finishing  of  his  work  in  the 
beginning  of  the  seventh  thousand  years — the  preparing  of 
the  way  before  the  time  of  his  coming."/" 

Seven  Great  Days. — The  'Mays"  here  referred  to  were 
not  ordinary  days  of  twenty-four  hours  each,  based  upon 
earth's  diurnal  revolutions.  He  who  "made  the  world"  be- 
fore placing  man  upon  it,  had  not  then  appointed  unto  Adam 
his  reckoning.^  Th.ey  were  not  man's  days,  but  God's  days, 
each  having  a  duration  of  a  thousand  years. 

"The  book  which  John  saw"  represented  the  real  his- 
tory of  the  world — wdiat  the  eye  of  God  has  seen,  what  the 
recording  angel  has  written  ;  and  the  seven  thousand  years, 
corresponding  to  the  seven  seals  of  the  Apocalyptic  volume, 
are  as  seven  great  days  during  which  Mother  Earth  will  ful- 
fill her  mortal  mission,  laboring  six  days  and  resting  upon 
the  seventh,  her  period  of  sanctification.  These  seven  days 
do  not  include  the  period  of  our  planet's  creation  and  prep- 
aration as  a  dwelling  place  for  man.  They  are  limited  to 
Earth's  "temporal  existence,"  that  is,  to  Time,  considered  as 
distinct  from  Eternity. 

According  to  Kolob. — The  Prophet's  translation  of  the 
Book  of  Abraham  explains  that  these    greater    days    are 


/,  D.  and  C.  77 :6,  12. 
g,  Abr.  .S:13, 


12  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

"after  the  time"  or  according  to  the  reckoning  of  Kolob,  a 
mighty  governing  planet  nearest  the  Celestial  Throne,  a 
planet  revolving  once  in  a  thousand  years.''  This  period, 
tli.en,  is  a  day  upon  Kolob.  One  might  well  suppose  such  a 
day  to  have  figured  in  the  warning  given  to  Adam:  "In 
the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  sure'ly  die"  ;'  for 
Adam,  after  eating  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  lived  on  to  the 
age  of  nine  hundred  and  thirty  years.-''  St.  Peter  may  have 
had  the  same  thing  in  mind  when  he  wrote  :  "One  day  is 
with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand  years  as 
one  day".''' 

At  the  Week's  End. — According  to  received  chron- 
ology— admittedly  imperfect,  yet  approximately  correct — 
four  thousand  years,  or  four  of  the  seven  great  days  given 
to  this  planet  as  the  period  of  its  "temporal  existence,"  had 
passed  before  Christ  was  crucified  ;  while  nearly  two  thous- 
and years  have  gone  by  since.  Consequently,  Earth's  long 
week  is  now  drawing  to  a  close,  and  we  stand  at  the  pres- 
ent moment  in  the  Saturday  Evening  of  Time,  at  or  near 
the  end  of  the  sixth  day  of  human  history.  Is  it  not  a  time 
for  thought,  a  season  for  solemn  meditation  ?  Morning  will 
break  upon  the  Millennium,  the  thousand  years  of  peace, 
the  Sabbc^h  of  the  World ! 

House-Cleaning  in  Progress. — Marvel  not,  therefore, 
that  all  things  are  in  commotion.  War,  famine,  pestilence, 
earthquake,  tempest  and  tidal  wave — these  are  among  the 
predicted  signs  of  the  Savior's  second  coming.'     Tyranny 


//,  Abr.  3  :4. 

i,  Gen.  2:17. 

y,  lb.  5:5.  This,  of  course,  refers  to  the  temporal  life.  Adam 
died  spiritually  as  soon  as  he  had  transgressed  the  divine  command. 
Shut  out  from  the  Heavenly  Presence,  he  was  dead  as  to  the 
things  of  the  Spirit.   (D.  and  C  29:40,  41.) 

k,  2  Peter  3:8. 

/,  Matt.  24;  D.  and  C.  87,  88. 


THE  SATURDAY  EVENING  OE  TIME.  13 

and  wickedness  must  be  overthrown,  and  the  way  prepared 
for  Him  who,  though  gracious  and  merciful  to  all,  and  for- 
giving to  sinners  who  repent,  ''cannot  look  upon  sin  with 
the  least  degree  of  allowance."'"  Earth  must  be  freed  from 
oppression  and  cleansed  from  all  iniquity.  It  is  God's 
House ;  and  He  is  coming  to  live  in  it,  and  to  make  of  it  a 
glorified  mansion.  House-cleaning  is  in  progress,  and  Sat- 
urday's work  must  be  done  and  out  of  the  way,  before  che 
Lord  of  the  Sabbath  appears. 


m.  D.  and  C.  1:31,  32. 


ARTICLE  TWO. 
The  Watch  on  the  Tower. 

"Haunted  Houses." — Several  years  since,  a  learned 
gentleman  was  lecturing  in  some  of  our  Utah  towns,  taking 
for  his  theme  "Haunted  Houses."  That  was  his  way  of 
describing  the  situation  of  those  who  put  faith  in  prophets, 
visions  and  revelations,  as  among  the  means  whereby  God 
communicates  wich  man.  He  invited  all  such  to  come  out  of 
Ibrir  "haunted  houses,"  and  build  for  their  souls  "more 
stately  mansions,"  founded  upon  the  rock  of  reason  and 
scientific  truth.  The  lecturer  had  special  reference,  of 
coiirse,  to  the  followers  of  the  Prophet  Joseph  Smith. 

A  Fundamental  Belief. — A  belief  in  prophets  and  in 
spiritual  gifts,  whereby  come  visions,  revelations,  and  mir- 
aculous "signs,"  following  and  confinning  full  and  true  be- 
lief,"'^ is  fundamental  with  the  Latter-day  Saints.  We  re- 
gard the  founding  of  our  Church  as  a  fulfillment  of  proph- 
ecy,^ and  recognize  in  tlie  decadence  of  long  established 
systems  of  religion,  a  result  of  failure  to  be  guided  and  gov- 
erned by  the  teachings  and  warnings  of  men  divinely  in- 
spired. "Where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  perish."'" 
\\1iere  there  is  no  revelation,  spiritual  darkness  reigns. 

Not  a  Chance  World.^ — W^e  are  not  living  in  a  world 
of  chance.  Things  do  not  occur  haphazardly,  wdthout  the 
care  or  cognizance  of  the  omniscient  and  omnipotent  Ruler. 
Not  a  sparrow  falls  to  the  ground  without  his  notice.  De- 
sign, not  accident,  governs  the  universe.  Neither  man  nor 
Satan,  though  exercising  to  the   full   his   free  agency,  can 


a,  Mark  16:17. 
Ik  Isa.  29:14. 
c.  Prov.  29:18. 


THE   WATCH   nv   THE    TOMER  15 

possioly  thwart  the  Divine    A;...     With  all  their  ^i 
and  strivings^  they  are  powerless  to  destroy  or  dir   rr    .^j 
Gods  Plan,  or  to  hinder  ihe  fulfillment  of  prophecy.    All 
things,  both  the  evil  and  the  good,  are  overrued  in  a  way 
-J  subserve  oae  and  the  same  great  end — What  Eternal 
;  Isdom  decreed  before  the  foundation  of  ihe  world. 
The  Function  of  Prophecy. — The  need  for  prophecy 
must  be  evident  to  any  pious  and  reileciive  mind.  Prophets 
are  as  watchmen  on  the  tower,  noting  the  time  of  night, 
telling  of  the  approaching  dawn.  "Sureh'  the  Lord  God  will 
do  nothing,  but  he  revealeth  his  secret  unto  his  servants 
the  prophets.  ""^    This  means,  as  I  interpret  it,  that  the  all- 
wise  Dispenser  of  human  affairs  will  neither  cause  nor  per- 
it  any  event  to  take  place,  concerning  which  the  world 
need  to  have  fore-knowledge,  until  he  has  communicated 
with  his  chosen  5er\-ants.  his  oracles  among  men.  and  has 
given  them  due  notice   of   its   approach. 

To  warn  mankind  of  impending  judgments  ;to  prepare 
His  people,  and  through  them  the  world  at  large,  for 
changes  that  must  come  iu  the  carr\-ing  out  of  the  divine 
program — changes  necessary-  to  human  progress — ^is  the 
function  of  those  who  see  into  the  future  and  make  knowa 
ihe  word  and  will  of  the  Universal  Father. 

Time  for  Preparation. — Even  without  the  Prophet 
-- nios  S-iid  hi:-  inspired  utterance,  we  have  ever}"  reason  to 
•eel  assured,  from  what  we  know  of  the  divine  attributes. 
it  God,  in  his  dealings  with  man.  harbors  no  intent  to 
taKe  what  is  knovsTi  as  "a  snap  judgment."  His  object  be- 
ing to  save,  not  to  destroy,  it  is  vers-  far  from  his  design 
that  the  world  shall  be  caught  unawares,  that  men  or  nations 
shall  be  involved  in  trouble  of  which  they  have  had  no 
warning,  and  for  which,  conseouentlv,  thev  could  make  no 


16  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

preparation.     The  promised  sending  of  Elijah  the  Prop 
"before  the  coming  of  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of 
Lord,"  was  in  order  that  certain  things  might  be  done  whi 
if  left  undone,  would  cause  that  "coming"   to   "smite 
earth  with  a  curse. "^ 

Not  that  the  Lord  wdshes  to  curse.  His  object,  even 
chastisement,  is  to  bless. ^  But  a  want  of  preparedness  ( 
change  a  blessing  into  a  curse.  Messiah's  glorious  appe 
ing  will  be  a  wonderful  blessing  to  the  earth  and  its  inh 
itants,  provided  they  are  made  ready  for  it.  l>ut  a  h 
of  readiness  on  their  part  would  convert  the  l^oon  int( 
calamity.  Hence  the  need  of  preparation  and  of  previ( 
notice.  Whether  weal  or  w^oe  is  wending  its  way  ear 
v/ard,  it  is  only  fair  that  men  should  be  told  of  it  in  ; 
vance. 

The  Supernatural  Discredited. — But  there  is  a  pro 
ness  in  human  nature  to  discredit  the  Heaven-sent  mess^ 
ger.  Almost  invariably  the  supernatural  is  discounted, 
not  derided,  by  ultra-practical  minds.  All  miracles  ; 
myths  to  the  agnostic  intellect.  "The  natural  man  is 
enemy  to  God.'' 

Dead  Prophets  Preferred. — Even  those  who  rev^ 
tbic  prophets  of  the  past  are  tempted  to  ignore  the  pro] 
ets  of  the  present.  It  seems  natural  to  turn  from  Wl 
Is  and  bow  down  to  What  Has  Been.  Not  only  })rophf 
but  ])oets,  i)hilosoi)hers,  and  other  wise  and  worthy  teacli 
have  been  treated  in  ihis  manner. 

"Seven    cities   claimed    the   l)irth    of   Homer,    dead. 
Through  which  the  living  Homer  begged   for  bread." 

The  Savior  reproved  the  pious  unbelievers  of  his  g( 
eration   for  "garnishing  the   sepulchres   of   the   righteou 


c,  Mai.  4:5,  6. 
i.  Prov.  3:11,  12. 


THE    WATCH    ON    THE    TOWER.  17 

the  dead  seers  and  revelators,  and  at  the  same  time  reject- 
ing the  living  worthies,  as  their  fathers  had  done  before 
them.°  A  professed  reverence  for  Moses  and  the  old-time 
prophets  was  a  prominent  characteristic  of  thos'e  who 
spurned  the  greatest  of  all  ])rophets,  the  very  Son  of  God, 
concerning  whom  Moses  and  other  seers  had  testified.  And 
this  same  spirit,  the  spirit  that  crucified  the  Christ,  has 
caused  the  martyrdom  of  His  servants  in  all  ages. 

Counterfeit  and  Genuine. — For  the  widely  prevalent 
distrust  felt  toward  men  who  come  burdened  with  a  mes- 
sage from  on  High,  false  prophets  and  the  mischief  they 
have  wrought  are  largely  responsible.  But  distrust,  no  less 
than  credulity,  can  be  overdone.  Caution  against  imposi- 
tion is  commendable,  but  doubt  that  rejects  truth  is  to  be 
deprecated  and  condemned.  All  prophets  are  not  false. 
There  can  be  no  counterfeit  without  a  genuine ;  and  to  pro- 
claim against  the  one  is  virtually  to  concede  the  existence  of 
the  other. 

A  Test  of  Prophecy. — A  simple  and  sure  test  of 
prophecy  is  furnished  in  the  following  passage  of  Holy 
Writ :  "When  a  prophet  speaketh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord, 
it  the  thing  follow  not  nor  come  to  pass,  that  is  the  thing 
which  the  Lord  hath  not  spoken,  but  the  prophet  hath 
spoken  it  presumptuously."^'  By  this  standard  of  judgment 
can  be  tested  all  that  prophetic  inspiration  has  ever  ut- 
tered. Given  enough  time,  ''the  thing"  will  clearly  demon- 
strate whether  or  not  it  was  ''spoken  presumptuously." 

A  Serious  Situation. — Ponder  upon  this,  ye  who  hear 
the  testimonies  of  the  Elders  of  Israel,  preaching  the  re- 
stored Gospel  of  the  Kingdom  as  a  final  witness  to  the  na- 
tions.    And  when  you  see  coming  to  pass,  in  these  days  of 


g,  Matt.  23:29. 
//,  Deut.  18:22. 


18  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

war,  pestilence  and  calamity,  the  predictions  of  ancient  and 
modern  seers,  give  a  thought,  a  serious  thought  to  the  situa- 
tion Ask  yourselves  if  you  can  afford  to  he  classed,  either 
with  those  who  look  upon  believers  in  spiritual  gifts  as  de- 
luded dupes  living-  in  "haunted  houses,"  or  with  those  who 
extol  the  prophets  of  former  ages,  and  persecute  or  ignore 
the  prophets  of  the  present  time. 


ARTICLE  THREE. 

Concerning  Names  and  Vocations. 

Is  Not  This  The  Farmer's  Son?— Some  such  para- 
phrase was  probably  in  the  mind,  possibly  upon  the  lips, 
of  more  than  one  opponent  of  the  religion  temied  ''Mor- 
monism,"  when  its  supposed  author,  Joseph  Smith,  started 
out  upon  his  remarkable  career.  And  it  was  deemed  by 
them,  no  doubt,  a  sufficient  answer  to  his  extraordinary 
claims. 

True  and  False  Standards.— "A  tree  is  known  by  its 
fruit."  This  proverb,  accepted  by  the  wise  and  just  almost 
as  a  truism,  seems  to  have  no  place  in  the  philosophy  of 
seme  people,  especially  when  a  servant  of  the  Lord  is  the 
object  of  their  critical  contemplation.  "What  do  men  say 
of  him?"  is  frequently  the  only  criterion  by  which  such  a 
character  is  judged.  And  is  it  not  manifestly  unfair?  When 
a  prophet  comes  from  God  with  a  message  for  mankind, 
what  matters  the  name  given  to  that  message,  or  to  that 
messenger,  by  those  unfriendly  to  the  cause  he  represents' 

"The  Carpenter's  Son." — Those  who  rejected  the 
Man  of  Nazareth  when  he  proclaimed  himself  the  Son  of 
God,  doubtless  thought  they  had  disposed  of  him  effectual- 
ly by  referring  to  him  sneeringly  as  "The  carpenter's  son ;" 
this  slight,  with  others  put  upon  him  by  his  neighbors,  caus- 
ing Jesus  to  remark :  ''A  prophet  is  not  without  honor  save 
in  his  own  country  and  in  his  own  house."'' 

Effect  of  Nearness.— His  nearness  was  against  him. 
There  was  no  "distance*'  to  "lend  enchantment  to  the 
view."    His  name  and  humble  vocation  made  his  marvelous 


a,  yiatt.  13:55-57. 


20  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

claims  seem  impossible.  It  could  not  be  that  God  would 
make  a  prophet  out  of  a  carpenter's  son — a  prophet  mightier 
than  Moses  or  any  of  the  ancient  seers — and  give  to  him 
such  a  common  name  as  Jesus,  another  form  of  Joshua.^  It 
was  un1)elievab].e,  absurd,  to  most.  Therefore  were  they 
justified,  as  they  supposed,  in  withholding.^  from  him  recog- 
nition and  honor.  "And  He  did  not  many  mighty  works 
there,  because  of  their  unbelief." 

History  Repeats. — As  w^ith  the  carpenter's,  so  with 
the  farmer's  son — each  was  objected  to  upon  similar 
grounds.  Nor  was  it  a  new  thing  in  human  experience. 
That  which  called  forth  criticism  had  occurred  many  times 
in  other  ages  when  God  had  raised  up  prophets  and  seers. 
Probably  most  of  them  were  selected  from  among  the  plain 
people,  and  were  comparatively  unknown  to  men  when  the 
Lord  called  them. 

Moses  an  Exception. — Moses  was  a  signal  exception. 
He  had  been  reared  as  a  prince  in  the  palace  of  the  king  of 
Egypt ;  but  that  was  because  Pharaoh's  daughter,  having 
found  the  homeless  infant  at  the  water's  edge,  thenceforth 
had  charge  of  him  and  his  education.  Prince  he  was,  re- 
gardless of  that  princely  training ;  but  he  was  not  the  only 
prince  in  Israel.  They  were  "a  nation  of  kings  and  priests," 
though  most  of  them  walked  in  ways  that  w.ere  lowly. 

A  Herdsman  Prophet. — Prophets  are  not  chosen  for 
their  worldly  culture  or  their  social  position.  A  plain-going 
farmer,  no  less  than  a  college  professor,  may  be  gifted  with 
prophetic  power  and  be  called  to  exercise  it  for  the  good  of 
his  fellows.  Amos,  according  to  his  own  statement,  "was 
no  prophet,"   nor  "a  prophet's   son."     That   is   to   say,   he 


h,  "Jesus  is  the  Greek  form  of  the  Hebrew  "JogJuia,"  fre- 
quently met  with  in  Ezra  and  Neliemiali.  It  was  pronounced 
"Joshua"  by  the  early  Jews.  Other  forms  of  the  nrunj  are  "FTosea" 
or  "Iloshea,"  "Oshea"  and   "Jehoshua." 


CONCERNING   NAMES  AND    VOCATIONS.     21 

had  not  been  trained  in  any  school  of  the  prophets,  such  as 
existed  in  Old  Testament  times/  He  was  not,  like  Jere- 
miah, the  son  of  a  priest.^  He  was  a  herdsman  and  a 
fruit-gatherer  when  the  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him: 
"(in,  prophesy  unto  my  ])eople  Israel"/ 

Prophets  Foreordained. — A  prophet's  name,  his  place 
of  birth,  and  the  character  of  his  everyday  callinj:';,  are 
matters  of  little  moment  compared  with  other  things  per- 
taining to  him.  What  of  his  state  and  standing  before  he 
came  on  earth?  This  is  a  far  more  important  considera- 
tion. God's  prophets  are  chosen  before  they  are  born,-''  and 
are  sent  into  the  world  as  He  needs  them.  Their  aims  are 
high  and  holy.  They  desire  the  welfare  and  happiness  of 
the  race.  Yet  almost  invariably  their  motives  are  misun- 
derstood, and  they  and  their  followers  are  opposed  and 
persecuted. 

The  Vital  Question. — Does  this  man  come  from  God? 
That  is  the  only  question  worthy  of  immediate  attention, 
when  a  prophet,  or  one  professing  to  be  such  appears.  And 
his  word  alone  need  not  be  taken  as  conclusive.  There  are 
ways  and  means  of  testing  a  prophet's  claim — and  that,  too, 
without  awaiting  the  fulfillment  or  non-fulfillment  of  some 
prediction  by  or  concerning  him.  Honest,  prayerful  men 
and  women,  with  even  moderate  discernment,  need  not  be 
deceived  by  any  pious  or  impious  pretender.  God  would 
not  leave  his  children  at  the  mercy  of  imposters.  The  sheep 
have  a  right  to  be  protected  from  the  wolves. 

"Try  the  Spirits." — ''Many  false  prophets  are  gone 
out  into  the  world. "^     But  there  is  a  Spirit  that  discerns 


c,  1  Sam.  10:10;  19:20.     2  Kings  2:3;  4:38;  6:1. 

d,  Jer.    1:1. 

e,  Amos  7:14,  15. 

A  Abr.  3:23;  Jer.  1:5. 
g,  1  John  4:1     . 


22  OUR  PLACE  IX  HISTORY. 

between  true  and  false,  between  spurious  and  genuine,  and 
c'.nyone  who  seeks  it  aright  may  have  "the  inspiration  of  the 
Ahnii^iU}-."  whicli  giveth  to  the  spirit  of  man  "understand- 
ing."'' ^Moreover,  the  Letter  as  well  as  the  Spirit  is  a 
guide.  A\'hat  has  been  revealed  in  times  past  helps  to 
interpret  what  is  now  revealed.  Truth  is  always  consistent 
with  itself.  Heaven-inspired  men  do  not  contradict  one 
another.  Their  teachings  harmonize  and  are  dependalde. 
The  spirit  of  contention  is  essentially  evil.'  "To  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony:  if  they  speak  not  according  to  this 
word,  it  is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."-' 

''Old  Joe  Smith." — Were  these  tests  applied  to  Joseph 
Smith  in  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth  century?  Yes,  by 
some ;  and  they  received  the  promised  testimony  of  the 
Truth,  the  absolute  evidence  of  the  divinity  of  this  Proph- 
et's mission.  But  by  far  the  greater  number  of  those  to 
whom  he  fain  would  have  ministered,  rejected  him  sum- 
maril}'  and  without  investigation.  To  them  he  was  only 
"Joe  Smith" — "Old  Joe  Smith" — old  indeed  in  wisdom, 
though  young  in  earthly  years,  yielding  up  his  life  as  a 
martyr  at  the  early  age  of  thirty-eight.  His  claim  to  being 
an  oracle  of  God  was  deemed  preposterous,  blasphemous  ; 
and  his  religion,  the  pure  Gospel  of  Christ,  was  denounced 
as  the  world's  worst  delusion  and  snare. 

Badges  of  Honor. — But  bad  names,  wrongly  be- 
stowed, hurt  the  giver,  rather  than  the  receiver.  IMame  and 
ridicule,  when  applied  to  the  righteous,  are  badges  of  honor, 
worn  by  true  prophets  and  true  principles  in  all  ages.  It 
does  not  do  away  wnth  a  man  of  God  to  pelt  him  with  nick- 
names and  opprobrious  epithets.  Persecution  may  end  his 
earthlv  career,  but  it  cannot  confute  his  claim  nor  invalidate 


//.  Job  MK 

1.3  Nephi  11:29,30. 

;,  Isa.  8:20. 


CONCERNING   NAMES  AND    VOCATIONS.     23 

his  testimony.  The  name  of  the  martyred  modern  Seer, 
des])ite  the  clouds  of  calumny  enveloping  it,  shines  out  from 
amidst  the  darkness  that  comprehencled  him  not.  His  glori- 
ous Lord  and  Master,  crucified  as  an  imposter,  put  to  death 
for  maintaining  that  he  was  more  than  the  world  believed 
him  to  be,  gave  the  only  Name  given  under  heaven  whereby 
men  can  be  saved. 


ARTICLE  FOUR. 

The   Choice   Seer. 

A  Prenatal  Naming. — Let  us  now  take  a  closer  view 
of  this  marvelous  man,  Joseph  Smith,  the  most  extraordin- 
ary character  that  has  appeared  upon  our  planet  in  the  past 
Lwo  thousand  years.  His  coming  into  the  world  fulfilled  a 
prophecy  uttered  many  centuries  before  his  birth — a  proi)li- 
ecy  concerning  ''a  choice  seer,"  to  be  raised  up  "out  of 
the  loins"  of  Joseph  who  was  sold  into  Egypt.  The  seer's 
name  was  likewise  to  be  Joseph,  and  this  also  was  to  be 
the  name  of  his  father.'^  That  prophecy  was  fulfilled  in 
Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  the  founder  of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints.  ''Joseph  the  Seer" — so  is  he  desig- 
nated by  divine  revelation.* 

Like  great  Cyrus,  who  liberated  the  Jews  from  their 
captivity  in  Babylon,*^  the  Lord's  anointed  in  modern  times, 
raised  up  to  begin  the  work  of  Israel's  final  and  complete 
redemption,  was  named  and  his  mission  outlined  long  be- 
fore he  had  tabernacled  in  the  flesh.  Why  he  came  gifted 
with  the  power  of  seership,  was  made  manifest  at  the  very 
beginning  of  his   career. 

Birth  and  Parentage. — Joseph  the  Seer  was  born  at 
Sharon,  W^rmont.  two  days  before  Christmas,  in  the  year 
1805.  When  only  a  lad,  living  with  his  parents.  Joseph  and 
Lucy  Smith,  honest  farm  folk  in  the  backwoods  of  Western 
New  York,  his  career  as  a  prophet  began. 

In  Quest  of  Wisdom.— Partly  from  the  effects  of  a 


a,  2  Nephi  3:6-15. 

b,  D.  and  C.  21  :1.     See  also  headings  to  most  of  the  sections  in 
this  book. 

c,  Tsa.  44:28;  45:1-5. 


THE  CHOICE  SEER.  25 

religious  revival  held  in  his  neighborhood,  he  became  much 
concerned  upon  the  subject  of  his  soul's  salvation,  but  was 
bewildered  and  unable  to  make  choice  of  a  church  or  creed, 
owing  to  the  diverse  and  conflicting  claims  of  the  various 
Christian  sects.  While  in  this  mood,  he  chanced  upon  the 
fc'llowing  passage  of  scripture:  "If  any  of  you  lack  wisdom, 
let  him  ask  of  God,  that  giveth  to  all  men  liberally,  and 
upbraideth  not;  and  it  shall  be  given  him."''  Deeply  im 
pressed  with  the  sacred  words,  he  forthwith  resolved  to  ask 
from  God  the  wisdom  of  which  he  stood  in  need. 

The  First  Vision. — Retiring  to  a  grove  near  his  fath- 
er's home,  he  knelt  in  prayer  to  the  Most  High  ;  but  had 
scarcely  begun  his  humble  and  earnest  petition,  when  he 
was  seized  upon  by  a  power  that  filled  his  soul  with  horror 
and  paralyzed  his  tongue  so  that  he  could  no  longer  speak. 
So  terrible  was  the  visitation,  that  he  almost  gave  way  to 
despair.  Yet  he  continued  to  pray — in  thought,  with  "the 
soul's  sincere  desire" — and  just  at  the  moment  when  he 
feared  he  must  abandon  himself  to  destruction,  he  saw, 
directly  over  his  head,  a  light  more  brilliant  than  the  noon- 
day sun.  In  the  midst  of  a  pillar  of  glory  he  beheld  two 
beings  in  human  form,  one  of  whom,  pointing  to  the  other, 
said :  "This  is  my  beloved  Son,  hear  Him"^ 

All  Churches  Astray. — ^With  the  appearance  of  the 
Light,  the  boy  found  himself  delivered  from  the  fettering 
power  of  the  Evil  One.  As  soon  as  he  could  again  com- 
mand utterance,  he  inquired  of  his  heavenly  visitants 
which  of  all  the  religious  denominations  was  right — which 
one  was  the  true  Church  of  Christ?  To  his  astonishment, 
he  was  told  that  none  of  them  was  right ;  that  they  had  all 
gone  out  of  the  way.     Their  creeds  were  an  abomination, 


d,  James   1  :5. 

e,  Hist.  Ch.,  Vol.  1,  Chap.  1,  p.  5. 


26  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

i\m\  ihcir  professors  corrupt.  'They  draw  near  to  nie  with 
their  Hps,  but  their  hearts  are  far  from  me;  they  teach  for 
doctrine  the  commandments  of  men,  having;  a  form  of  G^od- 
Hness,  but  they  deny  the  power  thereof."  So  spake  the 
Son  of  God  concerning  the  churches.^  He  declared  that  he 
did  not  recognize  any  of  them ;  but  was  about  to  restore 
the  Everlasting  Gospel,  with  the  powers  of  the  Eternal 
Priesthood,  and  establish  his  Church  once  more  in  the  midst 
of  mankind. 

Such  was  Joseph  Smith's  first  vision  and  revelation. 
It  came  in  the  spring  of  1820,  when  he  was  but  a  few  months 
over  fourteen  years  of  age. 

The  Divine  Personality. — The  greater  part  of  this 
v.'onderful  manifestation  was  the  part  that  did  not  speak — 
the  silent  revealing  of  the  personality  of  God ;  a  trulli 
plainly  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  but  ignored  or  denied  b>' 
modern  Christianity.  The  object  worshiped  by  the  sects 
w^as  defined  in  their  theology  as  a  being  ''without  body, 
parts  or  passions".^  That  was  the  popular  concept  of  Deity 
throughout  Christendom  when  Joseph  Smith  and  "Mormon- 
ism"  came  forth.  Tn  line  with  this  tenet  and  teaching,  an 
English  ])oet  of  the  eighteenth  century  had  represented 
God  as  a  "Mind''  or  "Soul"  that 

Warms    in    the    sun,    refreshes    in    the    breeze, 
Glows  in  the  stars,  and  blossoms  in  the  trees. 
Lives  through   all  life,   extends  through  all   extent. 
Spreads   undivided,   operates   unspent./' 

These  beautiful  couplets  admirably  describe  the  Spirit 
0-1  the  Lord — that  all-pervading  energy  or  essence  which 
proceeds  from  the  Divine  Presence,  fills  the  immensiiv  of 


/,  Compare  Isa.  29:13. 

g.  Church   of   England   Articles  of   Religion,   Presbyterian   Con- 
fession of  Faith,  etc. 

h,   Pope's   "Essay   on   Man,"   Epistle    1,   lines  271-274. 


THE  CHOICE  SEER.  27 

space,  is  .everywhere  present,  and  is  immanent  in  all  crea- 
tion. But  they  give  no  adequate  idea  of  the  Great  Creator, 
"the  father  of  the  spirits"  of  men/  who  sent  into  the  world 
his  Beloved  Son,  ''the  brightness  of  his  glory  and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person'',^'  that  men  might  see  in  him  the 
Father  and  worship  God  aright.  The  Son  of  God,  walking 
as  a  man  upon  the  earth,  plainly  indicated  what  kind  of  a 
being  God  is ;  and  when  his  disciple,  Philip,  said  to  him, 
"'Lord,  show  us  the  Father,"  Jesus  replied :  "He  that  hath 
seen  me  hath  seen  the  Father".'''^  Could  anything  be 
plainer? 

But  these  teachings  were  lost  upon  the  modern  Christian 
world.  They  had  turned  from  the  truth  "unto  fables",' 
forsaking  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  substituting  for  him 
as  an  object  of  worship,  an  ideal  of  their  own  creation.  And 
it  devolved  upon  Joseph  Smith  to  shatter  the  false  doctrine 
of  a  bodiless,  passionless  deity,  and  bring  back  the  lost 
knowledge  of  the  true  and  living  God. 

The  True  and  Living  God. — What  is  meant  by  that? 
Who  is  "the  tnie  and  living  God?"  He  is  the  God  of  the 
Bible,  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  the  God  of 
Adam,  of  Enoch,  of  Noah,  of  the  patriarchs  and  prophets 
and  apostles  of  old — the  God  described  by  Moses  in  the 
first  chapter  of  Genesis,  where  it  is  written :  "God  created 
man  in  his  own  image,  in  the  image  of  God  created  he  him, 
male  and  female,  created  he  them."  This  is  equivalent  tc 
saying  that  God  is  in  the  form  of  man,  and  that  we  have 
a  Mother  as  well  as  a  Father  in  Heaven,  in  whose  image 
O!  likeness  we  are,  male  and  female. 

Of   the   divine   Three   who   hold   supreme   power   and 


i,  Heb.  12:9. 

j,  lb.  1  :3;  Gen.  1  :26,  27;  Philipp.  2:6;  Col.  1  :15,  etc. 

k,  John  14 :9. 

/,  2  Tim.  4:4. 


28  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

preside  over  the  universe — three  distinct  personahties,  yet 
one  God  or  Godhead,  one  in  will,  wisdom,  power  and 
authority — of  these,  the  Father  and  the  Son,  accordinc^-  to 
Joseph  Smith,  are  personages  of  tabernacle.  They  have 
bodies  "as  tangible  as  man's'*;  while  the  Holy  Ghost  "is  a 
personage  of  spirit"/" 

The  Idol  of  the  Sects. — Proceeding  forth  from  them, 
is  that  all-pervading  essence  or  influence  which  is  immanent 
ir  all  things — the  light  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars,  the  light 
also  of  the  human  understanding,  quickening  and  illumin- 
in.g,  in  greater  or  less  degree,  ''every  man  that  cometh  into 
the  world."  In  it  we  live,  move  and  have  our  being;  for  it 
is  the  principle  of  life  throughout  creation.  This  is  what 
the  poet  was  describing,  when  he  portrayed  Deity  as  a ''Soul" 
that  "warms  in  the  sun,  refreshes  in  the  breeze,"  etc.  And 
this  is  what  the  Christian  sects  were  worshiping  at  the  be- 
ginning of  the  nineteenth  century.  Not  God,  but  a  spirit 
sent  forth  from  God ;  not  Divinity,  but  an  emanation 
from  Divinity.  In  a  word,  they  were  practicing  idolatry — 
or  something  dangerously  akin  to  it. 

What  Constitutes  Idolatry? — "Idolatry  is  every  wor- 
ship that  stops  short  of  the  Supreme"."  It  is  "the  paying 
of  divine  homage  to  false  gods  or  images ;  also,  adoration 
of  created  or  imaginary  beings  or  natural  objects  or 
forces."^  This  is  precisely  what  the  ancient  world  was 
doing  when  the  book  of  Genesis  was  written.  The  Canaan- 
ites  worshiped  the  sun  and  moon — Baal  and  Ashtoreth — 
ascribing  to  them  the  powers  of  creation.  The  Egyptians 
adored  the  crocodile,  the  bull,  the  goat  and  the  beetle  (scara- 
beus).  Among  the  Hindus  the  seasons  were  deified — 
spring,   summer,   autumn,    winter;    as   were    also   the    pas- 


m,  D.  and  C.  130:22.   Compare  1   Nephi   11:11. 

n,  F.  H.  Hedge,  "Ways  of  the  Spirit,"  Essay  8,  p.  215. 

0,  F.  W.  Standard  Dictionary. 


THE  CHOICE  SEER.  29 

sions — love,  hate,  fear,  anger  and  revenge.  All  these  were 
revered  as  deities.  Then  came  Moses,  who  had  seen  the 
living  and  true  God,  and  had  conversed  with  him  face  to 
face,  receiving  from  him  the  Decalogue  or  Ten  Command- 
ments unto  Israel.  The  first  commandment  reads  :  '"Thou 
shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 

Modern  Christendom's  Position. — The  world  in  Jo- 
seph Smith's  day — the  Christian  world  at  least — did  not 
W'orship  the  heavenly  bodies ;  did  not  deify  beasts  and  rep- 
tiles, did  not  regard  the  seasons  and  passions  as  divine.  Yet 
it  had  turned  from  the  true  God,  ignoring  or  misinterpret- 
ing what  Closes  and  the  prophets  had  written  concerning 
him.  According  to  its  dictum,  the  age  of  miracles  was  past ; 
prophets  were  out  of  date,  and  angel  messengers  obsolete  ; 
the  heavens  were  sealed,  the  canon  of  scripture  was  full, 
and  God  would  never  again  communicate  with  mortals.  Then 
came  the  vision  of  the  Father  and  the  Son — two  glorious 
beings  in  the  form  of  man — and  from  the  hour  that  the  boy 
Joseph  beheld  them,  there  was  at  least  one  person  upon  this 
planet  who  knew  what  kind  of  a  being  God  is.  It  was  a 
virtual  reassertion  of  the  first  commandment  in  the  Dec- 
alogue :    "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 

To  worship  anything  that  God  has  made  and  given,  in 
lieu  of  the  ^laker  and  Giver,  is  to  worship  an  idol.  They 
who  turn  from  the  Creator  to  the  creature,  who  forsake  God 
and  adore  a  gift  or  an  emanation  from  God,  are  idolaters, 
almost  as  much  as  if  they  worshiped  the  sun  and  moon,  or 
bowed  down  to  goats  and  crocodiles. 

Like  to  Elijah — To  restore  the  acceptable  worship  of 
Jehovah,  and  begin  a  work  that  would  sweep  away  idolatry 
and  all  things  connected  therewith,  was  the  mission  of  Jo- 
seph the  Seer.  Against  him,  as  against  Elijah  of  old.  the 
priests    of    Baal    raged    in    impotent    fury.      Despite    their 


30  OCR  n  .icr  ix  iiisroRV. 

touiiiios  of  slander  aiul  ihoir  weapons  of  violence,  he  ae- 
eoniplished  all  that  had  been  ijiiven  him  to  do.  This  time. 
lu'wever.  the  All-Wise  permitted  his  servant  to  he  sacrificed 
—  to  the  end.  no  doubt,  that  his  innocent  blood,  affixing-  lo 
his  testimony  the  red  seal  of  martyrdom,  mii^ht  i^ive  added 
power  to  the  great  propaganda  then  and  still  in  proi^ress 
tor  Israel's  redemption — the  i^atherini^-  oi  the  scattered 
sheep   preparatory  to   the   Shepherd's   comini^. 


ARTICLE  FIVE. 
The  Land  of  Zion. 

The  Angel  Moroni. — Three  years  after  that  wonder- 
ful vi-ion  in  the  Grove,  the  youthful  .Seer  received  a  visit- 
ation from  an  angel,  a  messenger  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord.  This  Angel  gave  his  name  as  Moroni,  and  declared 
that  while  in  mortal  Hfe  he  had  ministered  as  a  prophet  to  an 
ancient  people  called  Xephites,  a  branch  of  the  house  of 
Israel — not  the  Lost  Tribes,  as  is  frequently  asserted  by  the 
uninformed,  but  a  portion  of  the  tribe  of  Josejjh,  mixed  with 
a  remnant  of  the  tribe  of  Judah.  The  former  had  crossed 
o/er  from  Jerusalem  about  the  year  6C0  B.  C. ;  the  others  a 
few  \ears  later.  These  blended  colonies  had  inhabited 
the  Americas  down  to  about  the  beginning  of  the  fourth 
centur}'  of  the  Christian  era,  when  the  dvuized  though  de- 
generate Xephites  were  destroyed  by  a  savage  faction 
known  as  Lamanites.  ancestors  of  the  American  Indians. 

The  Book  of  Mormon. — The  Angel  further  stated 
that  a  record  of  the  Xephites  would  be  found  in  a  hill  not 
far  from  Joseph's  home — a  hill  anciently  called  Cumorah ; 
and  upon  that  spot,  four  years  afterward,  Moroni  delivered 
the  record  into  his  hands.  It  was  a  book  of  metallic  plates 
"having  the  appearance  of  gold,"  and  covered  v.ith  strange 
characters,  "small  and  beautifully  engraved" — characters 
known  to  the  X'ephites  as  ''th^e  reformed  Eg}'ptian".« 

By  means  of  ''interpreters,''  discovered  with  the  plates, 
and  consisting  of  "two  stones  in  silver  bows,"'  the  youth 
translated  the  unsealed  portion  of  the  record  and,  with  the 
ai^sistance  of  a  few  friends,  jjublished  to  the  world  the  Book 


a.  Mormon  9:32. 


32  OUR  PLACE  IN  HISTORY. 

of  ^rormon.  It  was  so  named  for  its  compiler,  the  Nephite 
prophet  Mormon,  whose  son  and  survivor,  Moroni,  had 
buried  the  plates  where  Joseph  Smith  found  them.  The  date 
of  discovery  was  Septeml^er  22nd,  1823.'' 

The  Hill  Cumorah  is  situated  between  Palmyra  and  Man- 
chester, in  the  State  of  New  York.  For  their  belief  in  the 
Book  of  Mormon,  the  Latter-day  Saints  v/ere  termed  ''Mor- 
mon.s,"  and  their  religion  ''Mormonism."  It  proclaims  itself 
th.e  restored  fulness  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Chrisi. 

History  and  Prophecy. — The  Book  of  Mormon  is  a 
sacred  history  of  pre-historic  America,  and  a  prophecy  of 
the  wondrous  future  of  this  chosen  land.  It  tells  not  only  of 
the  Nephites  and  Lamanites,  but  also  of  a  more  ancient  peo- 
ple, the  Jaredites,  who  came  from  the  Tower  of  Babel  at 
the  time  of  the  confusion  of  tongues.  Becoming  extinct, 
the  Jaredites  were  succeeded  by  the  Israelitish  colony,  led 
from  Jerusalem  by  a  prophet  named  Lehi,  whose  sons  Ne- 
phi  and  Laman  became,  respectively,  the  heads  of  the  two 
nations  that  sprang  from  him  and  were  called  after  their 
names.  The  Jewish  remnant  that  mixt  with  the  descend- 
ants of  Lehi  w^as  headed  by  Mulek,  one  of  the  sons  of  Kin-^- 
Zedekiah,  whom  the  Babylonian  conqueror,  Nebuchadnez- 
zar, overthrew. 

The  New  Jerusalem. — The  Jaredites,  as  well  as  the 
N.ephites,  had  a  knowledge  of  the  Christ  and  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  his  Gospel,  revealed  to  them  prior  to  his  coming. 
To  both  these  nations  it  was  made  known  that  America  is 
the  Land  of  Zion,  the  place  for  the  New  Jerusalem,  a  holy 
city  to  be  built  "unto  the  remnant  of  the  seed  of  Joseph."'' 
Likewise  was  it  shown  to  them  that  the  Old  Jerusalem  would 
be  rebuilt  *'unto  the  house  of  Israel''  in  the  last  days.     All 

b,  TTist.  Church.  Vol.  1.  p.   15. 

r.  3  Ncphi  21:23.  24;  l-Jhcr  13:3-8. 


THE  LAND  OF  ZION.  S3 

this  before  the  Savior's  second  advent — the  glorious  morn- 
break  of  the  Millennium. 

A  Nursing  Mother. — Among  the  many  interesting 
features  of  the  Book  of  Mormon,  is  an  ancient  prophecy  of 
the  discovery  of  America  by  Columbus ;  the  migration  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  and  others  to  these  western  shores ;  the 
war  for  American  Independence,  and  the  founding  of  the 
republic  of  the  United  States,  a  nation  destined  long  before 
its  birth  to  play  the  part  of  a  nursing  mother  to  the  re- 
stored Church  of  Christ.'^ 

And  let  me  interject,  that  whatever  may  be  said  of 
the  persecutions  suffered  by  the  Latter-day  Saints  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  in  various  States  of  the  Union — persecu- 
tions inflicted,  not  because  of  the  Flag,  nor  of  the  Consti- 
tution, nor  of  the  genius  of  the  American  Government,  but 
in  spite  of  them — persecutions  inflicted  by  lawless  force, 
In-  mob  violence,  ever  to  be  execrated  and  condemned  by 
ever}'  true  patriot — whatever  may  be  said  of  such  deplor- 
able happenings,  still  must  our  noble  Nation  be  credited 
with  what  it  has  done  in  the  direction  of  fulfilling  its  God- 
given  mission.  It  is  extremely  doubtful  that  in  any  other 
land,  or  in  any  other  nation  upon  this  land,  would  the  Lord's 
people  have  been  treated  with  the  same  degree  of  considera- 
tion. In  no  other  country  on  earth,  without  special  divine 
interposition  in  its  behalf,  would  this  great  and  marvelous 
work  have  been  permitted  to  come  forth. 

A  Land  of  Liberty.— America,  according  to  Nephite 
prophecy,  is  to  be  a  land  of  liberty  to  the  Gentiles — mod- 
ern peoples,  not  of  Israel,  now  possessing  it — provided  they 
serve  the  God  of  the  Land,  who  is  Jesus  Christ.  So  long  as 
they 'shall  follow  righteousness,  and  maintain  the  pure  prin- 
ciples upon  which  this  Government  was  founded,  just  so  long 


d,  1  Nephi  13:10  19;  22:7,  8. 

3 


34  OUR  PL.ICE  IX  HISTORY. 

will  llic}'  ])rospcr  and  enjoy  the  favor  of  Heaven.  America, 
if  trne  to  her  mission,  is  promised  divine  protection,  and  will 
be  invulnerable  to  every  foe.  God  "will  fortify  this  land 
against  all  other  nations,"  and  they  who  "fight  against  Zion 
shall  perish.""^ 

The  Alternative. — If,  how^ever,  the  Gentiles,  lifted  up 
ill  pride,  shall  harden  their  hearts  and  reject  the  fulness  of 
Christ's  Gospel,  Liberty's  perfect  law,  another  destin}-,  and 
a  sad  one,  awaits  them.  No  king  but  Christ  shall  reign  upon 
Zion's  Land.  Xo  people  occupying  this  choice  ground  can 
practice  evil  with  iminmity.  The  nation  founded  here  must 
be  a  righteous  nation,  or  like  the  Jaredites  and  the  Nephites, 
who  perished  because  of  their  wickedness,  it  will  be  swept 
from  the  face  of  the  land  when  the  cup  of  its  iniquitv  is 
full.     So  the  (lod  of  Lleaven  hath  d.ecreed.^ 

Joseph's  Blessing. — Another  name  for  America,  au- 
thorized by  the  Book  of  Mormon,  is  the  Land  of  Joseph,  re- 
ferred to  by  the  Patriarch  Jacob  in  blessing  his  twelve  sons,^ 
and  by  the  Prophet  JMoses  in  his  farewell  benediction  u])on 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel.^'  Jacob's  allusion  to  Joseph  as 
"a  fruitful  bough  by  a  well,  wdiose  branches  run  over  the 
wall,"  was  fulfilled  in  the  migration  of  Lehi  and  his  com- 
panions from  Asia  to  America  over  the  Pacific  Ocean.  It 
is  hardly  necessary  to  add,  in  further  exegetical  comment, 
that  or.e  of  the  main  features  of  these  western  continents 
are  those  mighty  mountain  ranges,  the  Andes  and  tlie 
Rockies,  well  termed  by  the  Hebrew  Patriarch  "the  ever- 
lasting hills,"  nature's  depositories  for  ''the  precious  things 
of  the  earth" — gold,  silver,  and  other  minerals — and  for 
"the  precious  things  of  heaven" — the   sacred   records  that 


i\  2  Xcphi   10:1 1-13. 
/,  Ether  2:8-12. 
e.  Hen.  49:22-26. 
/».  Dt'iit.  33:13  15. 


THE  LAND  OF  ZION.  35 

have  already  been  discovered,  and  others  that  are  yet  to 
come  forth. 

Joseph  and  Judah. — The  Book  of  Mormon  has  a  di- 
vine mission  in  connection  with  the  Hebrew  Scriptures, 
"unto  the  confounding  of  false  doctrines  and  laying-  down 
of  contentions".'  It  is  "The  Stick  of  Joseph,"  referred  to 
by  the  Prophet  Ezekiel,  that  was  to  be  one  with  "The  Scick 
of  Judah"  (The  Bible)  "in  the  hand  of  Ephraim."  They 
were  also  to  be  one  in  the  hand  of  Jehovah,  symbolizing 
the  reunion  of  the  two  great  branches  of  the  Israelitish 
race,  after  many  centuries  of  separation.  "And  I  will  make 
them  one  nation  in  the  land  upon  the  mountains  of  Israel," 
saith  the  Lord,  "and  David  my  servant  shall  be  king  over 
them."-'' 

Zidn  and  Jerusalem. — David's  ancient  empire,  which 
parted  in  twain,  forming  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  and  the 
Kingdom  of  Israel,  may  it  not  have  been  a  foreshad- 
ov\nng  of  God's  greater  empire  of  the  last  days,  which  will 
consist  of  tv/o  grand  divisions — two  in  one?  Here  upon  the 
Land  of  Zion,  "a  land  choice  above  all  other  lands,"*  the 
children  of  Joseph,  the  descendants  of  Ephraim,  are  even 
now  assembling  to  make  preparation  for  Messiah's  advent. 
The  Jews  will  greet  him  at  Jerusalem.  Christ's  Kingdom 
will  have  two  capitals,  one  in  the  Old  World,  one  in  the 
New  ;  one  in  America,  the  other  in  Palestine.  "For  out  of 
Zion  shall  go  forth  [he  law,  and  the  word  of  the  Lord  from 
Jerusalem."' 


/.  2  Nephi  3:12. 

/',  Ezek.  37:16-24.  The  king  here  mentioned  is  not  David,  son 
of  Jesse,  but  "another  by  the  name  of  David"  wbo  is  to  be  "raised 
np  out  of  his  lineage."— Hist.  Ch.,  Vol.  6,  p.  253. 

k,  Ether  2:10. 

/.  Isa.  2:3. 


PART   TWO 


SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 


ARTICLE  SIX. 
What  Joseph  Beheld. 

Seer  and  Prophet. — "Seer"  and  "Prophet"  are  inter- 
chang-eable  terms,  snpposed  by  many  to  signify  one  and  the 
same  thing.  Strictly  speaking,  howeyer,  this  is  not  correct. 
A  seer  is  greater  than  a  prophet."  One  may  be  a  prophet 
withont  being  a  seer ;  but  a  seer  is  essentially  a  prophet — if 
by  "prophet"  is  meant  not  only  a  spokesman,  but  likewise  a 
foreteller.  Joseph  Smith  was  both  prophet  and  seer.^ 

Like  Unto  Moses. — A  seer  is  one  who  sees.  But  it 
is  not  the  ordinary  sight  that  is  meant.  The  seeric  gift  is  a 
supernatural  endowment.  Joseph  was  "like  unto  Moses;" 
and  Moses,  who  saw  God  face  to  face,  explains  how  he  saw 
him  in  these  words:  "Now  mine  owni  eyes  haye  beheld 
Ciod  ;  yet  not  my  natural,  but  my  spiritual  eyes  ;  for  my  nat- 
ural eyes  could  not  haye  beheld ;  for  I  should  haye  withered 
and  died  in  his  presence ;  but  his  glory  was  upon  me  ;  and 
I  beheld  his  face,  for  I  was  transfigured  before  him."  Such 
is  the  testimony  of  the  ancient  Seer,  as  brought  to  light  by 
the  Seer  of  Latter-days.*^ 


fl,   Mosiah  8:15. 

b,  Such  men  as  Ralph  Waldo  Emerson,  the  American  philoso- 
pher, and  Count  Leo  Tolstoi,  the  Russian  writer,  are  sometimes 
referred  to  as  "seers;"  it  being  thought  by  those  who  so  designate 
them,  that  the  power  to  think  profoundly  and  express  wise  and 
intelligent  opinions,  especially  on  the  future,  constitutes  seership. 
It  is  in  this  sense  that  the  term  "vision"  is  so  much  used.  But  a 
great  thinker  is  not  necessarily  a  seer;  though  a  seer  is  apt  to  be  a 
great  thinker.  Joseph  Smith  was  both;  not  so  Ralph  Waldo  Emer- 
son ;  not  so  _  Count  Tolstoi.  They  were  great  philosophers,  but 
there  is  nothing  in  the  life-work  of  either  to  indicate  that  he  pos- 
sessed the  power  of  a  seer. 

c,  Moses  1:11.  Moses  further  declares  that  he  could  look  upon 
Satan  "in  the  natural  man,"  but,  says  he:  "I  could  not  look  upon 
God,  except  his  glory  should  come  upon  me  and  I  was  strengthened 
before  him."  "  -  • 


- -.  Zt^5w — I_e~  ii  uc'i  "be  sx^iffcC^sed-  bo^Tever,  thst 
i?  Hire  113  se^  BiCTaBT.    Xlsaoe  ^  ncc:  iaiirr, 

:ii  OUT 

or  DonrEjd  e^^es  *:r^  ibc  ;  in.    AH  man's  or- 


-«pe  ■'■■•rLfe-d  tTT  sfju."     TiSStioi^  ^ire  bad  ey^s-     P^nt  liier 


j^T^sn  roLEi^  X3i:5  •mrruesff-c  "t-  -nnjr  11=^  it  -whsz  t-i 


-Kiact  ^«  rsm  iie  k-:  ibe  zizrb^c  iinspEniiEallTr,  wiix 


n~ES  isnr?-  ^GisZL  nrrrf  25  M'jSSS 


Of^ZTr^   ITT  ^rrz^^t   lJll:i    I"    :ih^35u  B  tr  lI 


pcrpcsee,  ai^  ^uie,  r^en  TrrrJ 


Lac  %r>  ^jsnnir-     |«sepfe  SjsSSi  pi^se^sed  lii?  si^irrv — --ir!: 


WHAZ  \'H  BEHELD.  -1 

Ha^  the  Book  cf  Mt— cti  w^  T   i         — _—      -     -- 


Isj  feffiE  scr^i-e — »_>lrrer  C'j'in^erv 


ngrf-r-rt'^g-r.  rre  "sn^r^ls  B25I:  !SL'*e0i  w^cdki  aot:  «Ss2pp^Lr: 


il^dst.  :i5  ^r:  siio:??  rrnroi  feea.¥iBi, 


"s^  tlie  Ar^jsdes  Peter,  rxoses  t—*- 


^rectkEL  ~'~^  ~~^~  -- --.--^       _^  ^'-. ..__:;_  v^ir:  :i  r^^    _: 


-»:«^a  ra  z3je  -ir- 


wfeo,  SsTinar  ^is>  liMl  in  ir:e£r   «-rrk  ind  resririns^  i  2s 


42  SEHRSIIIP  AXD  PROPHECY. 

a  hoax,  seemed  bent  iii)on  renderiiii^  their  situation  as  dis- 
agreeable as  possil)le.  Learning  of  their  unpleasant  situa- 
tion, and  desiring  to  help  along  the  sacred  task  to  which 
they  were  devoting  themselves,  Peter  Whitmer,  Sr.,  a 
farmer  living  at  h^ayette,  Seneca  County,  New  York,  sent 
his  son  David  with  a  team  and  wagon  to  bring  them  to  the 
Whitmer  home. 

David  Whitmer's  Account. — "When  I  arrived  at  Har- 
mony," sa}'s  David  Whitmer,  ''Joseph  and  Oliver  were  com- 
ing towards  me  and  met  me  at  some  distance  from  the 
house.  Oliver  told  me  that  Joseph  had  infomied  him  when 
I  started  from  home,  wdiere  I  had  stopped  the  first  night, 
how  I  read  the  sign  at  the  tavern,  where  I  stopped  the  sec- 
ond night,  etc.,  and  that  I  w^ould  be  there  that  day  before 
dinner;  and  this  was  why  they  had  come  out  to  meet  me. 
All  of  which  w^as  exactly  as  Joseph  had  told  Oliver;  at 
which  I  was  greatly  astonished. 'V  It  was  at  the  WHiitmer 
farmhouse,  in  Fayette,  that  the  Church  was  organized, 
April  r)th,  1830. 

Newel  K.  Whitney  and  the  "Stranger." — Another  in- 
stance of  Joseph's  use  of  the  seeric  gift  connects  with  the 
occasion  of  his  arrival  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  where  the  Church, 
at  an  early  day,  established  its  headquarters.  A  few  month?^ 
prior  to  that  time.  Oliver  Cowdery  and  three  other  Elders, 
on  their  way  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  Lamanites,  or  In- 
dians, had  tarried  for  a  season  at  Kirtland,  where  they  con- 
verted a  number  of  the  white  dwellers  in  that  region.  Among 
these  were  Sidney  Rigdon,  Newel  K.  Whitney,  and  ochers 
who  became  prominent  in  the  "Mormon"  community.  The 
Saints  in  Ohio,  learning  that  the  Church   would  prolxably 


.;,   David   Whitmer's    Statement    to    Orson    Pratt   and    loscnh    F 
Smith,  Mill.  Star,  Vol.  40,  p.  772.  J       i       ■■ 


WHAT  JOSEPH  BEHELD.  43 

move   westward,   began   to   pray    for   the    coming    of    tlie 
Prophet. 

The  prayer  was  soon  answered.  Aljont  the  first  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1831,  a  sleigh,  (h-iven  into  Kirtland  from  the  East, 
drew  up  in  front  of  the  mercantile  store  of  Gilbert  and 
\Miitney.  A  stalwart  young  man  alighted  and  walked  into 
the  store.  Approaching  the  junior  partner  and  extending 
his  hand  cordially,  as  if  to  an  old  and  familiar  acquaintance, 
he  saluted  him  thus :  "Newel  K.  Whitney,  thou  art  the 
man!" 

The  merchant  was  astonished.  He  had  never  seen  this 
person  before.  ''Stranger,"  said  he,  "You  have  the  ad- 
vantage of  me ;  I  could  not  call  you  by  name  as  you  have 
me." 

"I  am  Joseph  the  Prophet,"  said  the  stranger,  smiling. 
"You  have  prayed  me  here,  now  what  do  you  want  of  me?" 

Joseph  Smith,  while  in  the  State  of  New  York,  had  seen 
Newel  K.  Whitney,  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  praying  for  his 
coming  to  Kirtland ;  and  therefore  knew  him  when  they 
met.-^  The  purpose  of  this  vision,  in  all  probability,  was  to 
pave  the  way  for  a  meeting  between  the  Prophet  and  the 
man  who  was  to  have  the  honor  of  entertaining  him  during 
the  first  weeks  after  his  arrival  in  Ohio. 

Vision  of  the  Three  Glories. — One  of  the  most  glori- 
ous manifestations  ever  vouchsafed  to  mortals,  came  to  Jo- 
seph Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  in  the  month  of  February, 
1832.  They  were  at  Hiram,  Portage  County,  Ohio,  where 
the  Prophet,  assisted  by  Elder  Rigdon,  who  had  been  a 
Campbellite  preacher,  was  occupied  with  revising  the 
English  translation  of  the   FTebrew   Bible — a  circumstance 


k.  Hist.   Ch.,  Vol   1,  pp.   145,   146.     Note, 


44  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

that  ma\'  have  given  rise  to  the  oft-refnted  story  of  Rig- 
don's  anthorship  of  the  I'ook  of  Mormon.'  The  manifcsra- 
tion  referred  to  was  a  vision  of  human  destiny,  inchiding 
the  three  general  conditions  of  glorified  man— celestial,  ter- 
restrial, and  telestial.  Concerning  this  marvelous  vision,  Jo- 
seph and  Sidney  thus  testify  : 

"We,  Joseph  Smith,  Jr.,  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  heing  in 
the  Spirit  on  the  sixteenth  of  February,  in  the  year  of  our 
Lord,  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-two.  by  the 
power  of  the  Spirit  our  eyes  were  opened  and  our  un- 
derstandings w.ere  enlightened,  so  as  to  see  and  understand 
the  things  of  God     .     .     . 

"Of  whom  we  bear  record,  and  the  record  which  we 
bear  is  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the 
Son,  whom  we  saw  and  v\'ith  whom  we  conversed  in  the 
heavenly  vision."'" 

Thus  is  furnished  an  additional  proof  that  it  is  by  the 
power  of  God,  and  not  of  man,  that  mortals  behold  the 
visions  of  eternity. 

The  Greenville  Incident. — In  May  of  the  same  year, 
Joseph    Smith,    President   of   the    Church,   and    Newel   K. 

/,  Sidney  Ridgon  had  never  so  nuicli  as  seen  the  Book  of  Mor- 
mon, until  several  months  afttr  it  was  piibHshed,  when  a  copy 
of  it  was  handed  to  him  in  Northern  Ohio,  by  Parley  P.  Pratt, 
one  of  the  Elders  of  the  Lamanite  Mission.  Parley  and  Sidney 
corroborate  each  other  in  their  separate  accounts  of  this  incident. 
Moreover  Sidney's  acquaintance  with  Joseph  Smith  did  not  begin 
until  almost  a  year  after  the  Book  of  Mormon  came  forth.  Yet 
he  was  charged  with  creating  it,  with  converting  a  religious  history 
into  a  secular  romance  entirely  dissimilar  in  character  and  style 
from  the  Nephite  record— a  romance  written  by  one  Solomon 
Spaulding.  A  full  account  of  this  discredited  theory  of  the  origin 
of  the  Book  of  Mormon  may  be  found  in  George  Reynolds'  '"Myth 
of  the  Manuscript  Found,"  and  in  "Whitney's  History  of  Utah  " 
Vol.  1,  pp.  46-56. 

m,  D.  and  C.  76:11,  12.  14.     Sec  also  Article  Forty,  this  Series. 


JVHAT  JOSEPH  BEHELD.  45 

Whitney,  Bishop  of  Kirtland,  were  returning  from  a  visit  lO 
Jackson  County,  Missouri,  where,  since  the  summer  of  1831, 
a  "Mormon"  colony  had  heen  laying-  the  foundations  of  the 
City  of  Zion,  upon  grounds  consecrated  hy  the  Prophet  for 
that  purpose.  The  returning  visitors  were  detained  several 
weeks  at  Greenville,  Indiana ;  the  Bishop  having  a  broken 
leg,  caused  by  leaping  from  a  runaway  stage  coach.  Sur- 
rounded by  unfriendly  people,  some  of  whom  he  suspected 
of  an  attempt  to  poison  him,  the  Prophet  proposed  that  they 
forthwith  leave  that  dangerous  neighborhood.  His  record 
goes  on  to  say: 

"Brother  Whitney  had  not  had  his  foot  moved  from 
the  bed  for  nearly  four  weeks,  when  I  went  into  his  room, 
after  a  walk  in  the  grove,  and  told  him  if  he  would  agree  to 
start  for  home  in  the  morning,  we  would  take  a  wagon  to 
the  river  about  four  miles,  and  there  would  be  a  ferry-boat 
iii  waiting,  which  would  take  us  quickly  across,  where  we 
would  find  a  hack  which  would  take  us  directly  to  the  land- 
iiig,  where  we  should  find  a  boat  in  waiting,  and  we  would 
be  going  up  the  river  before  ten  o'clock,  and  have  a  pros- 
perous journey  home.  He  took  courage  and  told  me  he 
would  go;  we  started  the  next  morning  and  .found  every- 
thing as  I  had  told  him."" 

A  White  Lamanite. — Still  another  instance.  In  1834, 
while  the  "Zion's  Camp"  expedition"  was  on  its  way  to 
Missouri,  some  of  the  party  exhumed  from  an  ancient 
mound  the  skeleton  of  a  man  having  a  stone-pointed  ar- 
row between  two  of  his  ribs.  The  Prophet,  in  a  vision  of 
the  past,  discovered  the  identity  of  this  skeleton,  and  in- 

n.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1,  pp.  271,  272. 
o,  See  Article  Twenty-four. 


46  SEERSHIP  AXD  PROPHECY. 

formed  his  l)rethren  that  the  man's  name  was  Zelph,  thai  he 
was  "a  white  Lamanite,"^  and  had  heen  killed  in  hattle  hv 
the  arrow  fonnd  between  his  ribs."'^ 

Kirtland  Temple  Visions. — By  this  same  power  Jo- 
seph Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  in  the  Temple  at  Kirt- 
land, Ohio  (April  3rd,  1836),  beheld  Jehovah,  the  God  of 
Israel;  also  Moses,  Elias  and  Elijah,  who  committed  to 
them  spiritual  keys  necessary  for  carrying  on  various  phases 
of  the  Lord's  work.'' 

Adam's  Altar.— In  1838,  after  the  main  body  of  the 
Church  had  moved  to  Missouri,  the  Saints  built  several 
towns  and  projected  others  in  Caldwell  and  other  counties 
of  that  State.  One  of  those  towns  was  at  Spring  Hill,  Davis 
County,  where  the  men  who  made  the  survey  for  a  new  set- 
tlement came  upon  the  ruins  of  an  ancient  altar,  situated  on 
a  wooded  hill  overlooking  the  surrounding  country.  Straight- 
way they  reported  to  the  Prophet  their  interesting  find.  He, 
upon  beholding  it,  said  to  those  who  were  with  him :  "There 
is  the  place  where  Adam  offered  up  sacrifice  after  he  was 
cast  out  of  the  Garden."'^ 

The  Old-Nev^  World. — America,  according  to  Joseph 
Smith,  is  the  Old  W'orkl — not  the  New^  The  primeval 
Garden  was  in  the  part  now  called  Jackson  County.  Our 
First  Parents,  after  their  expulsion  from  Eden,  dwelt  in 
tlie  place  where  this  altar  stood.  The  Lord  named  it  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman,      ''because  it  is  the  place  where    Adam    shall 


/),  3  Nephi  2:14-16. 

q,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  2,  pp.  79,  80. 

r,  D.  and  C.  110. 

s,  "Life  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,"  p.  222;  Taylor's  "Mediation  and 
Atonement,"  pp.  69,  70;  Whitney's  "History  of  Utah" — Biography 
A.  O.  Smoot,  Vol.  4,  p.  99. 

/,  The  Prophet's  inspired  declaration  to  that  effect  finds  con- 
firmation in  the  writings  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  Alexander  Agassiz, 
id  John  Fiske. 


an 


JJHAT  J  OS  HP  H  BEHELD.  47 

ccaiie  to  visit  his  ])eoi)le,  or  the  Ancient  of  Days  sliall  sic, 
a;-  snnkcu  of  bv   Daniel  the  Pro])het."" 

All  this  b}'  the  power  of  seership— all  this  and  more;  for 
many  otb.er  instances  might  be  "-iven.  TUit  these  will  suf- 
fice to  show  the  nature  of  this  rare  and  precious  gift,  and 
the  manner  of  its  exercise  by  the  mighty  Seer  and  r'ro])het 
h.olding  the  keys  of  this  Gospel   dispensation. 

n,  D.  and  C.   116. 


ARTICLE  SEVEN. 
What  Joseph  Foretold. 

The  Proof  of  Prophecy. — To  prove  one  a  prophet,  it 
is  necessary  to  show,  not  only  that  he  prophesied,  but  that 
tilings  predicted  by  him  came  to  pass.  Measured  by  this 
standard,  Joseph  Smith's  claim  to  the  title  is  clear  and  un- 
inipeachable.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  enumerate  all  his  proph- 
ecies, but  will  mention  some  of  the  more  notable,  as  dem- 
onstrating his  possession  of  the  wonderful  power  to  unlock 
arid  reveal  the  future. 

Earliest  Predictions. — The  Angel  Moroni's  promise 
to  the  boy,  that  he,  an  obscure  and  unlettered  country  lad, 
sliould  live  to  do  a  work  that  would  cause  his  name  to  be 
known  among  all  nations,^  has  been  often  cited — too  ofien 
to  rc(|uire  extended  comment  here.  The  same  may  be  said 
of  Isaiah's  familiar  declaration,  that  in  the  presence  of 
God's  wondrous  work,  the  wisdom  of  the  wise  should  perish 
arid  the  understanding  of  the  prudent  be  hid.^  These  prom- 
ises are  fulfilling  daily.  Passing  them  by  with  this  brief 
mention,  I  take  up  one  of  the  best  known  of  Joseph  Smith's 
predictions,  namely,  the  "Revelation  and  Prophecy  on 
War." 

An  Ominous  Christmas  Gift. — This  tremendous  fore- 
cast, relating  not  only  to  the  fierce  internecine  struggle  be- 
tween the  Northern  and  Southern  States  of  the  iVmerican 
Unien,  ])ut  to  other  and  mightier  upheavals  as  well,  some 
past  and  some  yet  future,  was  launched  at  Kirtland,  Ohio, 
on  the  25th  of  EXecember,  1832.  It  may  be  said,  therefore, 
that  it  came  as  a  solemn  Christmas  gift  to  the  inhabitants  of 


a,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1,  pp.  11,  12. 
b,  Isa.  29:  14. 


IF  HAT  JOSEPH  FORETOLD.  49 

the  world,  warning  tlicni  to  j^rcpare  for  terrible  events. 

War  and  Other  Calamities. — The  Prophet  declared 
tluit  war  would  "be  poured  out  upon  all  nations,"  beginning 
at  a  certain  place.  That  place  was  South  Carolina.  The 
Southern  States,  divided  against  the  Northern  States,  would 
call  upon  Great  Britain,  and  Great  Britain  would  call  upon 
other  nations,  for  defensive  assistance  against  hostile  pow- 
ers. Slaves,  rising  against  their  masters,  would  be  "mar- 
shalled and  disciplined  for  war ;"  and  the  red  remnants  "left 
of  the  land"  would  "become  exceeding  angry"  and  "vex  the 
Gentiles  with  a  sore  vexation."  By  bloodshed  and  famine, 
plague,  earthquake  and  tempest,  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth 
would  mourn  and  "be  made  to  feel'the  wrath  and  indigna- 
tion and  chastening"  hand  of  an  Almighty  God."  The  Proph- 
et exhorted  his  followers  to  "stand  in  holy  places  and  be  not 
moved,  until  the  day  of  the  Lord  come."'^ 

For  nineteen  years  this  prophecy  remained  in  manu- 
script, though  copies  of  it  w^ere  carried  by  "Mormon"  mis- 
sionaries and  read  to  their  congregations  in  various  parts  of 
the  world.  In  1851  it  was  published  at  Liverpool,  the  first 
edition  of  "The  Pearl  of 'Great  Price"  containing  it.  There- 
fore, it  was  a  matter  of  public  note  and  printed  record  long- 
before  the  dire  fulfillment  began. 

Beginning  of  the  Fulfillment. — The  revelation  had 
been  in  .existence  twenty-eight  years,  three  months,  and 
seventeen  days,  when,  on  the  twelfth  of  x\pril,  1861,  the 
Confederate  batteries  in  Charleston  Harbor,  South  Carolina, 
opened  fire  on  Fort  Sumter,  thus  precipitating  the  war  be- 
tween the  North  and  the  South.  As  is  well  known,  it  arose 
over  the  slave  question,  a  circumstance  fulfilHng  another  of 
Joseph  Smith's  predictions — one  dated  April  2nd,  1843.^ 


r,  D.  .'111(1  C.  87. 
d,   lb.   130:12,  13. 
i 


50  SEERSHIP  AXD  PROPHECY. 

Southern  States  call  on  Great  Britain. — How  eleven 
of  the  Southern  States,  hent  upon  withdrawing  from  the 
Union  and  establishing  an  independent  government  south 
of  the  ]\Iason  and  Dixon  Line,  called  upon  Great  Britain, 
and  were  accorded  a  measure  of  encouragement  Ijy  the  rul- 
ing" classes  of  that  country,  need  scarcely  be  told  here.  The 
arrest  and  release  of  the  Confederate  commissioners,  Mason 
and  Slidell,  who  had  been  sent  across  the  Atlantic  to  pre- 
sent the  Case  of  the  seceding  States  at  the  Court  of  St. 
James ;  and  the  subsequent  payment  by  the  British  Govern- 
ment of  the  Alabama  claims  ($15,500,000),  for  damages 
sustained  by  United 'States  commerce  at  the  hand  of  Con- 
federate privateers,  built  and  fitted  out  in  British  ports,  tell 
in  part  the  story. 

The  Negro  and  Indian  Questions. — It  is  also  a  mat- 
ter of  history,  that  many  of  the  negro  slaves,  set  free  by 
President  Lincoln's  edict  of  emancipation,  and  trained  as 
tioops,  fought  in  the  Northern  armies  against  their  former 
masters.  Whether  or  not  this  was  a  complete  fulfillment  of 
the  forecast  concerning  the  once  enslaved  people,  remains 
to  be  seen.  The  race  question  was  not  entirely  settled  by 
the  Civil  War;  it  still  hovers  as  a  dark  cloud  on  our  na- 
tional horizon.  As  for  Indian  troubles,  many  of  which 
have  arisen  since  Joseph  Smith  prophesied  concerning  them, 
while  apparently  they  have  ceased  to  "vex,"  more  may  yet 
be  heard  from  that  quarter  before  the  i)roblem  is  finally 
solved. 

An  Effort  to  Avert  Calamity. — Joseph  Smith's  last 
public  act  of  a  political  character  was  an  effort  to  save  his 
country  from  the  awiful  calamity  that  he  saw  impending. 
To  some  it  may  appear  strange,  even  inconsistent,  that  a 
prophet,  after  making  a  prediction,  v/ould  try  to  prevent  it 
from  coming  to  pass.  But  it  is  only  a  seeming  inconsisten- 
cy.   It    should    be    remembered    that    divine    ])romises    and 


JVHAT  JOSEPH  FORETOLD.  51 

I)ropliecies  arc  conditional.  There  is  always  an  alternative, 
expressed  or  ini])lied,  hinging  npon  a  change  of  attitude 
or  conduct  on  the  part  of  the  person  or  persons  toward 
whom  the  prophecy  is  directed.  Deem  it  not  incongruous, 
therefore,  that  this.  Prophet,  after  predicting  the  Civil  War, 
should  endeavor  to  open  a  way  of  escape  from  the  evils  he 
had  foreseen  and  foretold. 

In  January,  1844,  only  five  months  before  his  martyr- 
dom. Joseph  Smith  became  a  candidate  for  President  of  the 
United  States.  One  of  the  planks  of  his  political  platform 
was  a  proposition  to  free  the  slaves  of  the  South — not  by 
confiscation,  thereby  despoiling  their  owners,  but  by  pur- 
chase, making-  their  freedom  a  gift  from  the  General  Gov- 
ernment ;  the  funds  necessary  for  the  purpose  to  be  realized 
from  the  sale  of  public  lands.  This  just  and  humane  prop- 
osition, repeated  eleven  years  later  by  Ralph  Waldo  Emer- 
son,^ and  favored  also  by  Abraham  Lincoln,  was  ignored  ; 

e,  Josiah  Quincy,  who  visited  Joseph  Smith  at  Nativoo  shortly 
before  the  martyrdom,  says  of  him  and  his  views  on  slavery: 

"Smith  recognized  the  curse  and  iniquity  of  slavery,  though  he 
opposed  the  methods  of  the  Abolitionists.  His  plan  was  for  the 
nation  to  pay  for  the  slaves  from  the  sale  of  the  public  lands. 
'Congress,'  he  said,  'should  be  compelled  to  take  this  course,  by 
petitions  from  all  parts  of  the  country ;  but  the  petitioners  must  dis- 
claim all  alliance  with  those  who  would  disturb  the  rights  of  property 
recognized  by  the  Constitution  and  foment  insurrection.'  It  may  be 
worth  while  to  remark  that  Smith's  plan  was  publicly  advocated, 
eleven  years  later,  by  one  who  has  mixed  so  much  practical  shrewd- 
ness with  his  lofty  philosophy.  In  1855,  when  men's  minds  had  been 
moved  to  their  depths  on  the  question  of  slavery,  Mr.  Ralph  Waldo 
Emerson  declared  that  it  should  be  met  in  accordance  'with  the 
interest  of  the  South  and  with  the  settled  conscience  of  the  North. 
It  is  not  really  a  great  task,  a  great  fight  for  this  country  to  ac- 
complish, to  buy  that  property  of  the  planter,  as  the  British  nation 
bought  the  West  Indian  slaves.'  He  further  says  that  the  'United 
States  will  be  brought  to  give  every  inch  of  their  public  lands  for  a 
purpose  like  this.'  We,  who  can  look  back  upon  the  terrible  cost 
of  the  fratricidal  war  which  put  an  end  to  slavery,  now  say  that 
such  a  solution  of  the  difficulty  would  have  been  worthy  a  Christian 
statesman.     But   if  the  retired   scholar  was  in  advance  of  his  time 


52  SRERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

and  it  cost  the  Nation  a  million  of  lives  and  Ijillions  of  treas- 
ure to  despise  the  counsel  of  a  prophet  of  God,  and  adopt 
instead  what  the  hate-blinded  politicians  of  that  period 
deemed  "a  more  excellent  way."^ 

How  Stephen  A.  Douglas  Fulfilled  Prophecy. — Close- 
ly connected  with  events  immediately  ])receding  the  Civil 
War,  is  another  prophecy  of  Joseph  Smith's,  uttered  May 
18,  1843,  and  recorded  at  the  time  in  the  journal  of  his 
private  secretary.  On  the  date  given,  the  Prophet  dined 
with  Stephen  A.  Douglas,  at  the  home  of  Sheriff  Backens- 
tos,  in  Carthage,  Illinois,  the  same  town  where  the  brothers 
Joseph  and  Hyrum  afterwards  met  their  tragic  death. 
Judge  Douglas  was  holding  court  there.  The  principal 
topic  of  conversation  after  dinner  was  the  persecution  of 
the  Latter-day  Saints  in  Alissouri,  not  only  the  Jackson 
County  affair  of  1833,  but  the  more  sanguinary  tragedy  of 
1838-1839,  culminating  in  the  mid-winter  expulsion  of  the 
entire  Church — then  numbering  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand 
members — and  its  establishment  in  the  adjoining-  State  of 
Illinois.  An  account  of  these  events,  at  the  Judge's  request, 
the  "Mormon"  leader  gave.  His  narrative  included  a  recital 
of  the  ineffectual  attempts  made  by  him  and  his  people  to 
obtain  from  the  b>(leral  government  a  redress  of  grievances. 

Douglas  was  deeply  interested,  and  strongly  condemned 

when  he  advocated  tliis  disposilicMi  of  the  puhlic  property  in  1855, 
what  shall  I  say  of  tlie  political  and  relij^ioiis  leader  who  had  com- 
mitted himself,  in  ])rinl,  as  well  as  in  conversation,  to  the  same 
conrse  in  1844?  If  the  atmosphere  of  men's  opinions  was  stirred  by 
such  a  proposition  when  war-clouds  were  discernible  in  the  sky,  was 
it  not  a  statesmanlike  word  eleven  years  earlier,  when  the  heavens 
looked  tranquil  rnd  beneficent." — "Figures  of  the  Past,"  pp.  397,  398. 
/,  President  Lincoln,  toward  the  close  of  the  Civil  War,  "wrote 
a  message  to  Congress,  proposing-  to  pay  the  slaveholders  $400,000,- 
000  for  their  slaves,  if  the  South  would  only  cease  fighting.  All  the 
Cabinet  objecting,  with  a  sigh  he  put  the  message  in  his  drawer." 
See  article,  "Lincoln  in  Victory."  bv  lames  AToryan  Deseret  News, 
May  10,  1920. 


IV HAT  JOSEPH  FORETOLD.  53 

he  conduct  of  Missouri.  He  was  very  friendly  with  the 
Vophet,  who.  continuing-  the  conversation,  predicted  trouble 
or  the  Nation  unless  those  wrongs  were  rig^hted.  Then,  ad- 
ressing  Douglas,  he  said:  "J^^<^1"'^»  Y^^^  ^^'^^^  aspire  to  the 
'residency  of  the  United  States;  and  if  you  ever  turn  your 
and  against  me  or  the  Latter-day  Saints,  you  will  feel  the 
/eight  of  the  hand  of  the  Almighty  upon  you.  And  you  will 
ve  to  see  and  know  that  I  have  testified  the  truth  to  you, 
L)r  the  conversation  of  this  day  will  stick  to  you  through 

:fe."^ 

God's  Hand  Against  Him. — Judge  Douglas  reaped 
le  full  fruition  of  those  fateful  words.  The  prophecy  con- 
srning  him  was  first  published  in  the  Deseret  News,  at  Salt 
,ake  City,  September  24,  1856,  and  on  Feburary  26,  1859, 

appeared  in  the  Millennial  Star,  at  Liverpool.  Between 
lose  dates,  Stei)hen  A.  Douglas,  then  a  United  States 
enator — made  such  by  the  aid  of  "Mormon"  votes  in 
linois — turned  his  hand  against  his  old-time  friends  and 
ipporters.  Joseph  Smith  was  dead,  but  his  followers, 
riven  from  the  confines  of  civilization,  were  out  in  the 
ilderness,  laying  the  foundations  of  the  State  of  Utah.  In 

political  speech,  at  Springfield,  Illinois,  June  12,  1857, 
enator  Douglas,  basing  a  reference  to  the  ''Mormons" 
pon  certain  wild  rumors  afloat  concerning  them,  virtually 
:cused  them  of  all  manner  of  crimes  and  abominations, 
he  speech  was  looked  upon  as  a  bid  for  popular  favor. 

Then  came  the  Senator's  race  for  the  Presidency.  His 
rospects  at  the  outset  were  favorable.  His  party  held  the 
reponderance  of  the  national  vote,  and  he  was  the  idol  of 
is  party.  In  June,  1860,  he  w^as  enthusiastically  nominated 
/  the  Democratic  Convention  at  Baltimore.  Men  s'  outed 
)r  him,  worked   for  him,  and  on  election   dav  voted   for 


g,  William  Clayton's  Journal,  May  18,  1843. 


5-^  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

him  :  but  all  in  vain,  God's  hand  was  against  him !  His  party, 
lorn  by  dissension,  divided  its  strength  among  three  can- 
didates, and  was  overwhelmingly  defeated.  "The  Little 
Giant"  was  "snowed  under,"  and  his  great  rival,  Abraham 
Lincoln,  elevated  to  the  Presidential  chair.  A  few  months 
later  Senator  Douglas  died  at  his  home  in  Chicago.  He  was 
only  in  the  prime  of  life — aged  forty-eight — but  he  had 
lived  long  enough  to  realize  that  God's  prophets  do  not 
speak  in  vain. 


ARTICLE  EIGHT. 
Looking:  Westward. 


'fc) 


Why  the  "Mormons"  Migrated. — Foreseeing  that  the 
Nation  would  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  his  patriotic  appeal  for  a 
peaceful  and  just  settlement  of  the  slave  question,  thf 
Prophet  began  to  contemplate  the  removal  of  the  Church 
from  close  proximity  to  the  scenes  of  strife  and  carnage 
that  were  about  to  be  enacted.  It  was  highly  necessary 
that  a  people  chosen  for  such  a  purpose — to  prepare  the 
world  for  the  ushering  in  of  the  Reign  of  Righteousness — 
should  remain  upon  earth  to  accomplish  their  mission.  In 
order  to  so  remain,  they  must  he  out  of  the  way  of  the 
troubles  that  were  imminent,  and,  so  far  as  possible,  keep 
out  of  the  way  until  the  divine  judgments  predicted  had 
gone  forth  and  done  their  work.  This  was  one  reason  why 
the   Latter-day   Saints   migrated  to  the  Rocky   Mountains. 

Driven  to  their  Destiny. — Their  cruel  expulsion  from 
Missouri  had  indirectly  contributed  to  their  safety ;  for 
when  the  war-cloud  which  had  long  been  gathering  finally 
burst,  it  poured  out  much  of  its  fury  upon  those  very 
lands  from  which  the  Saints  had  been  driven."  And  now, 
their  enforced  pilgrimage  into  the  all  but  untrodden  wilder- 
ness of  the  Great  West  likewise  preserved  them  from 
many  trials  that  w^ould  have  fallen  to  their  lot 
had  they  tarried  within  the  area  seriously  affected  by 
the  stern  events  that  followed. 

Fleeing   the   Wrath   to    Come.— It    was    a    next-best 

a.    The  history  of  guerilla  warfare  and  its  merciless  suppression 
along  the  Missouri-Kansas  border,  amply  bears  out  this  assertion, 


56  SEERSHIP  AXD  PROPHECY. 

course  that  tlie  fugitive  people  pursued.  Originally  ihcy 
were  cast  for  a  very  different  role,  but  not  beino^  ready  to 
enact  that  role,  another  part  was  assigned  them,  one 
destined  to  prepare  them  for  the  greater  performance  that 
is  yet  to  follow.  In  order  that  the  community  might  survive, 
and  accom])lish,  when  the  time  came,  the  mighty  task  of 
''redeeming  Zion,"  it  was  imperative  that  they  should  *'flee 
the  wrath  to  come." 

The  Exodus  Foretold. — The  removal  of  the  Saints 
to  the  region  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  was  the  theme  of 
a  prophecy  uttered  by  Joseph  the  Seer  nearly  two  years 
before  his  death,  and  nearly  four  years  prior  to  the  be- 
ginning of  the  famous  ''Mormon  Exodus."  Nauvoo, 
Illinois,  where  he  then  resided,  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the 
Mississippi  River,  and  on  the  west  bank,  just  opposite,  is 
the  little  town  of  Montrose.  From  the  Prophet's  personal 
history,  I  now  quote  an  entry  of  Saturday,  August  6th, 
1842: 

"Passed  over  the  river  to  Montrose,  Iowa,  in  company 
with  General  Adams,  Colonel  Brewer  and  others,  and 
uilncssed  the  installation  of  the  officers  of  the  Rising  Sun 
Lodge,  Ancient  York  Masons,  at  Montrose,  by  General 
lames  Adams,  Deputy  Grand  Master  of  Illinois.  While  the 
De]:»nty  Grand  Master  was  engaged  in  giving  the  requisite 
instructions  to  the  Master-elect,  I  had  a  conversation  with 
a  number  of  brethren  in  the  shade  of  the  building,  on  the 
subject  of  our  persecutions  in  Missouri  and  the  constant 
annoyance  which  has  followed  us  since  we  were  driven 
from  that  State.  I  prophesied  that  the  Saints  would  con- 
tinue to  suffer  much  affliction,  and  would  be  driven  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains.  Many  would  apostatize,  others  would 
be  put  to  death   by  our  persecutors  or  lose  their  lives  in 


LOOKING  WESTWARD.  57 

consequence  of  exposure  or  disease,  'and  some  of  you  will 
live  to  go  and  assist  in  making  settlements,  build  cities,  and 
see  the  Saints  become  a  mighty  people  in  the  midst  of  the 
Rocky  iMonntains.'  "^ 

Anson  Call's  Narrative.— One  of  the  men  who  heard 
that  prediction  was  Anson  Call,  afterwards  a  prominent 
colonizer  in  various  parts  of  the  Rocky  Alountain  region. 
His  account,  descriptive  of  the  INIontrose  incident,  fol- 
lows : 

''A  block  school-house  had  been  prepared,  with  shade 
in  front,  under  which  was  a  barrel  of  ice  water.  Judge 
Adams  was  the  highest  Masonic  authority  in  the  State  of 
Illinois,  and  had  been  sent  there  to  organize  this  lodge. 
He,  Hyrum  Smith,  and  J.  C.  Bennett,  being  high  Masons, 
went  into  the  house  to  perform  some  ceremonies  which  the 
others  were  not  entitled  to  witness.  These,  including  Joseph 
Smith,  remained  under  the  bowery.  Joseph,  as  he  was 
tasting  the  cold  water,  warned  the  brethren  not  to  be  too 
free  with  it.  With  the  tumbler  still  in  his' hand,  he  prophe- 
sied that  the  Saints  would  yet  go  to  the  Rocky  Mountains ; 
and,  said  he,  'this  water  tastes  much  like  that  of  the  crystal 
streams  that  are  running  from  the  snow-capped  mountains.' 
...  I  had  before  seen  him  in  a  vision  (i.  e.  while  having 
a  vision),  and  now  saw,  while  he  was  talking,  his  coun- 
tenance change  to  white — not  the  deadly  white  of  a  blood- 
less face,  but  a  living,  brilliant  white.  He  seemed  absorbed 


h.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,  p.  8S. 

This  prophecy  began  to  be  fulfilled  early  in  February,  1846, 
when  the  first  companies  of  the  migrating  Saints  left  Nauvoo  for 
the  West,  crossing  the  frozen  Mississippi  on  the  ice.  About  the 
middle  of  Jur-  fhey  reached  the  Missouri  River,  then  the  frontier 
of  the  Nation,  where  their  further  progress  was  delayed  for  a  whole 
season  by  the  enlistment  of  the  "Mormon"  Battalion — five  hundred 
men — who  responded  to  a  call  from  the  Government  and  volunteered 
to  assist  the  United  States  in  its  war  with  Mexico. 


58  SEERSllIP  AXD  PROPHECY. 

in  gazing  npon  something  at  a  great  distance,  and  said:  'I 
am  gazing  upon  the  valleys  of  those  mountains.'  "  ^ 

The  Seeric  Power. — Joseph  Smith,  at  that  time,  was 
standing  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
fifteen  hundred  miles  from  the  Rocky  IMountains  ;  yet  he 
saw  these  grand  old  hills,  crowned  with  unmelting  snows, 
cin(]  seamed  with  rugged  gorges  down  which  the  crystal 
torrents  wxM-e  flowing  as  they  flow  today.  He  actually  be- 
held, with  spirit  vision,  these  objects — beheld  them  so 
vividly,  that  had  he  been  permitted  to  carry  out  his  partly 
formed  purpose  of  leading  his  people  to  their  new  home  in 
the  wilderness,  he  would  have  recognized  this  land,  and 
would  have  been  able  to  say,  as  Brigham  Young-  said, 
upon  beholding  Salt  Lake  Valley:  'This  is  the  Place." '^ 


c,  "This  was  followed,"  continues  the  Call  narrative,  "by  a  \i\i(I 
description  of  the  scenery  of  these  mountains  as  I  have  since  be- 
come acquainted  with  it.  ...  It  is  impossible  to  represent  in 
words  this  scene  which  is  still  vivid  in  my  mind— the  grandeur  of 
Joseph's  appearance,  his  beautiful  descriptions  of  this  land,  and  his 
wonderful  prophetic  utterances  as  they  emanated  from  the  glorious 
inspirations  that  overshadowed  him.  There  was  a  force  and  power 
in  his  exclamations  of  which  the  following  is  but  a  faint  echo:  'Oh 
the  beauty  of  those  snow-capped  mountains !  The  cool  refreshing 
streams  that  are  running  down  through  those  mountain  gorges.' 
Then,  gazing  in  another  direction,  as  if  there  was  a  change  of  lo- 
cality: 'Oh  the  scenes  that  this  people  will  pass  through!  The  dead 
that  will  lie  between  here  and  there.'  Then,  turning  in  another  di- 
rection, as  if  the  scene  had  again  changed:  'Oh  the  apostasy  that 
will  take  place  before  my  brethren  reach  that  land!  But,  he  con- 
tinued, 'the  priesthood  shall  prevail  over  its  enemies,  triumph  over 
the  devil,  and  be  established  upon  the  earth,  never  more  to  be  thrown 
down.'  "  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,  pp.  85,  86.  Note. 

d,  The  journey  of  the  Pioneers  began  at  Winter  Quarters  (now 
Florence,  Nebraska)  about  the  middle  of  April,  1847.  It  ended  on 
the  shores  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake.  July  24th  of  the  same  year.  The 
company,  led  by  President  Brigham  Young  in  person,  consisted 
originally  of  143  men,  three  women,  and  two  children.  The  men 
were  well  armed  and  equipped,  and  the  company  traveled  mostly  in 
covered  wagons,  drawn  by  horses,  mules  and  oxen.  Four  large 
companies  of  emigrants  followed  immediately  after  the  Pioneers,  ar- 
riving in  Salt  Lake  Valley  during  the  autumn. 


LOOKING  WESTWARD.  5') 

Another  Prophet  and  Seer. — But  Joseph  did  not  live 
to  accompany  his  people  upon  their  historic  journev. 
x^nother  mighty  leader  was  raised  up  to  pilot  modern  Israel 
LO  their  promised  land.  Of  Brigham  Young  it  is  related. 
\iVxi  while  crossing  the  plains  west  of  the  Missouri  River,  in 
the  spring  and  summer  of  1847,  he  had  a  vision  of  the 
region  that  he  and  his  fellow  pilgrims  were  about  to  in- 
habit. He  saw  a  tent  settling  down  from  heaven  over  the 
\  alley  of  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  heard  a  voice  pro- 
claim :  ''This  is  the  place  where  my  people  Israel  shall 
pitrh  their  tents."  Such  is  the  testimony  of  Erastus  Snow,'" 
one  of  the  principal  men  who  came  with  President  Young 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Consequently  when  the  great 
Pioneer  said,  "This  is  the  place,"  he  was  repeating  words 
that  had  been  spoken  to  him — repeating  them  while  view- 
ing with  natural  eyes  a  scene  that  his  spirit  eyes  had  al- 
ready beheld. 

Human     Wisdom     vs.     Divine     Guidance. — W  hat 

availed,  after  that,  the  pessimistic  forebodings  of  the 
mountaineer,  James  Bridger,  who  camped  with  the  Pioneer'; 
just  after  they  passed  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  whose 
laconic  speech,  'T  would  give  a  thousand  dollars  if  I 
knew  an  ear  of  corn  could  ripen  in  Salt  Lake  Valley,"  ha? 
been  often  and  variously  quoted?  Wdiat  availed  the  roseate 
account  given  of  the  California  Coast  by  the  ultra-optimis- 
tic Samuel  Brannan,  who,  after  sailing  with  a  "Mormon" 
colony  from  New  York  and  landing  at  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco,  crossed  the  Sierra  Nevada,  met  the  Pioneers  on 
Green  River,  and  endeavored  to  persuade  them  that  the 
flowery  slopes  of  the  Pacific  were  a  better  place  of  abode 
for  the  exiled  people  than  the  parched  alkali  wastes  of  "The 


t.    See   Apostle    Snow's    discourse   of   July   25,    1880,    reproduced 
in  the  "Improvement  Era"  for  June,  1913. 


60  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

Great  American  Desert?"  Brigham  Young-  knew  belter 
than  Colonel  Bridger  or  Elder  Brannan  what  was  for  the 
best.  Looking  past  the  present  into  the  future,  he  had  for  all 
such  warnings  and  persuasions,  one  reply:  ''TJiis  is  the 
fiace.'' 

Prophecy  Fulfilled  and  Vision  Verified. — Brigham 
Young  was  not  the  man  to  ignore  divine  guidance.  His 
own  vision  was  before  him,  beckoning  him  on  ;  and  Joseph 
Smith's  prediction  behind  him,  urging  him  forward  and 
pointing  out  the  way.  The  Latter-day  Saints  w^ere  to  "be- 
come a  mighty  people" — not  in  California,  not  along  the 
Pacific  Coast,  but  "in  the  midst  of  the  Rocky  Alountains." 


ARTICLE  NINE. 
The  Place  of  Safety. 

An  Inspired  Choice.— A\ho  can  doubt  the  wisdom 
of  the  choice  that  made  the  Rocky  Mountains,  in  hen  of 
the  Pacific  Coast,  a  permanent  home  for  the  once  homeless 
Latter-day  Saints?  Had  they  gone  to  California,  as  Elder 
Brannan  advised,  it  would  have  meant,  in  all  probahility, 
their  disruption  and  dispersion  as  a  community,  or  at  all 
events  another  painful  exodus  in  quest  of  peace 
and  freedom.  It  would  have  been  to  invite,  from 
the  inhabitants  of  that  region— fast  filling  up  with 
immigrants  from  those  very  States  where  the  per- 
secuted people  had  experienced  their  sorest 
troubles— a  repetition  of  the  woes  from  which  they 
were  fleeing.  Here  in  these  mountain  fastnesses,  a  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  frontiers  of  civilization,  they  were 
safe  from  mobs  and  molestation. 

Better  Than  Elsev^here.— Better  for  them,  in  every 
vv^ay,  that  they  should  bide  where  Providence  placed  them. 
Tlie  coast  country,  with  all  its  attractions — and  they  are 
,-i,any — has  no  such  rare  climate  as  can  be  found  in  this 
more  highly  favored  region.  The  land  once  supposed  to  be 
worthless,  and  to  redeem  which  even  in  part  from  its 
ancient  barrenness,  has  required  years  on  years  of  toil  and 
privation,  turns  out  to  be  a  veritable  treasure-house  of 
natural  resources,  a  self-sustaining  empire;  and  in  periods 
of  strife  and  turmoil,  when  war  rocks  the  world,  it  is  prob- 
ably the  safest  place  beneath  the  sun. 

The  Great  War.— This  mention  again  brings  to  the 
fore  Joseph  Smith's  great  ''Prophecy  on  War."  It  has  been 


62  SEERSIIIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

seen  how  the  Southern  States,  when  they  endeavored  to 
withdraw  from  the  Union,  "called  on  Great  Britain"  for. 
recognition  and  assistance,  thus  making  good  a  portion  of 
the  Prophet's  prediction.  But  when  did  Great  Britain  "call 
upon  other  nations,"  fulfilling  in  her  own  case  the  terms 
of  the  "Momion"  leader's  fateful  forecast?  Certainly  not 
during  the  stormy  period  of  the  ''sixties,"  nor  for  many 
decades  thereafter. 

But  the  time  came  eventually.  After  the  outbreak  of  the 
World  War,  when  the  German  hosts  were  overrunning 
Belgium  and  Northern  France,  threatening  even  England 
herself,  Great  Britain  did  call  upon  the  nations  with 
which  she  had  made  treaties,  for  the  help  that  she;  so  sorely 
needed.  The  visit  to  America,  before  and  after  the  United 
States  declared  war  against  Germany,  of  representatives 
of  Great  Liritain  and  others  of  the  Allied  nations,  appeal- 
ing for  military  aid,  was  a  potent  factor  in  inducing  our 
Government  to  send  ships  and  troops  across  the  Atlantic, 
to   help  beat   back   the  Teutonic   invader. 

Only  The  Beginning.^ — Very  evident  is  it  that  the 
tempest  of  war  foretold  by  Joseph  Smith  did  not  cease  with 
the  close  of  the  conflict  between  the  Northern  and  the 
Southern  States.  The  storm  has  continued  intermittently 
tc  this  time.  Lulls  there  have  been,  but  no  lasting  cessa- 
tion of  the  strife.  Five  years  after  the  collapse  of  the 
Southern  Confederacy,  came  the  Franco-Prussran  War, 
foreshadowing  Germany's  mad  attempt  to  conquer  the 
world.  The  American  Civil  War,  the  Franco-  Prussian 
War,  and  tlie  more  recent  World  \War,  were  all  parts  of 
the  great  "outpouring"  predicted  on  that  ominous  Christ- 
mas day.  And  the  same  may  be  said  of  other  conflicts  that 
have  since  taken  place.  F(|ually  true  wall  it  be  of  any  future 
strife  that  may  be  necessarv  to  help  free  the  world  from 


THE  PLACIL  OP  SAFETY.  63 

oppression  and  incjuit}-.  Tnle'ss  tlic  wicked  rcpciU,  there 
is  more — mucli  more  to  come." 

Hut  ill  whcit  way  did  the  revolt  of  Soutli  Carolina,  which 
bcg-an  the  Civil  War,  prove  a  "beginning"  of  wars  for  "al] 
nations"?  This  question  is  intelligently  discussed  in  a 
pamphlet  recently  put  forth,  by  Elder  James  H.  Anderson, 
of  Salt  Lake  City.  That  writer  shows  that  with  the  out- 
break of  the  Southern-Northern  conflict,  the  whole  system 
of  modern  warfare  underwent  a  change,  and  that  since  then 
it  has  experienced  a  complete  revolution,  through  the  in- 
vention and  use  of  machine  guns,  airships,  submarines,  and 
other  death-dealing  instrumentalities,  absolutely  unknown  in 
previous  military  history,  and  marking  a  distinct  beginning, 
such  as  the  Prophet  indicated.^ 

Dangers  Upon  the  Deep. — One  frightful  feature  of 
the  unparalleled  struggle  that  ended  with  the  signing  of 
the  armistice  (November  11, 1918), was  the  havoc  wrought 
by  the  German  U-boats,  otherwise  known  as  submarines. 
There  had  been,  before  the  coming  of  the  U-boat,  dread- 
ful dangers  upon  the  waters,  as  the  fate  of  the  ill-starred 
"Titanic" — ripped  open  by  an  iceberg — testifies.  But  the 
submarine,  the  assassin  of  the  "Lusitania,"  multiplied 
those  dangers  a  hundred  fold.  Did  the  proud  world  know 
that  a  prophet  of  God  ha-d  foreseen  these  fearful  happen- 
ings, and  had  sounded  a  Avarning  of  their  approach? 

In  August,  1831,  Joseph  Smith,  with  a  party  of  friends, 
returning  from  their  first  visit  to  Zion  in  Jackson  County, 
encamped  on  the  bank  of  the  Missouri  River,  at  a  place 
called  Mclhvair's  (or  Alcllwaine's)  Bend.  There,  one  of 
the  party,  William  W.  Phelps,  saw  in  vision  the  Destroyer 


a  D.  and  C.  5:19;  45:31,  68,  69;  63:33;  88:87-91;  97:22.  23; 
115:6. 

b.  See  "Prophecies  of  Joseph  Smitli  and  dieir  Fulfillment,"  In- 
Nephi  L.  Morris,  p.  20. 


64  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

riding  in  awful  fury  upon  the  river,  and  the  incident  called 
forth  a  revelation  in  which  the  Lord  says : 

"Behold,  there  are  many  dangers  upon  the  waters,  and 
more    especially    hereafter;  : 

"I'or  I,  the  Lord,  have  decreed  in  mine  anger  many  de- 
structions upon  the  waters  ;  yea,  and  especially  upon  these 
w^aters ; 

"Nevertheless,  all  flesh  is  in  mine  hand,  and  he  that  is 
faithful  among  you  shall  not  perish  l)y  the  waters. 

^c  *  *  ;i:  *  :|: 

"Behold,  L  the  I^ord,  in  the  beginning  blessed  the 
waters,  but  in  the  last  days,  by  the  mouth  of  my  servant 
John,  I  cursed  the  waters. 

"Wherefore,  the  days  will  come  that  no  flesh  shall  be 
safe  upon  the  waters, 

"And  it  shall  be  said  in  days  to  come  that  none  is  able 
to  go  up  to  the  land  of  Zion  upon  the  waters,  but  he  that  is 
upright  in  heart.     .     .     . 

"I,  the  Lord,  have  decreed,  and  the  destroyer  rideth  upon 
tlie  face  thereof,  and  I  revoke  not  the  decree."^ 

No  Flesh  Safe  Upon  the  Waters. — Was  not  this  con- 
dition almost  realized  during  the  darkest  days  of  the  Great 
War?  r^erils  undreamed  of  developed;  disasters  without 
precedent,  unexampled  in  history,  were  of  frequent  occur- 
rence. Even  upon  the  calm  Pacific  no  ship  ])ursue(l  con- 
secutively the  same  track  twice.  Companies  o])erating  the 
great  ocean-liners  no  longer  announced  the  dates  of  de- 
parture from  one  port  or  of  .expected  arrival  at  another. 
They  dared  not ;  the  destroyer  was  abroad,  death  was  in  the 
depths,  and  the  si)irit  of  dread  brooded  upon  the  bosom  of 
the    wn<^ers.      .\nd    this    upon    the    comparatively    peaceful 


c.    D.    and    C.    6L4-6,    14-16,    19.      Compare    Moses    7:66    and 
Rev.  16:3,  4. 


THE  PLACE  OF  SAFETY,  65 

Western  Ocean ;  while  upon  the  Atlantic,  in  the  Mediter- 
ranean, and  in  the  North  Sea,  the  terrible  submarine  told 
the  tale  of  danger  and  disaster. 

The  Food  Question. — Another  phase  of  the  Titanic 
struggle  was  the  food  question.  Joseph  Smith  had  pre- 
dicted famine  ;'^  and  the  famine  came.  As  early  as  October, 
1876,  the  Prophet's  successor,  President  Brigham  Young, 
placed  upon  the  members  of  the  Relief  Society  a  special  mis- 
sion— that  of  gathering  and  storing  grain  against  a  day  of 
scarcity ;  and  from  that  time  the  activities  of  the  Society 
were  put  forth  largely  in  this  direction.  Some  made  light 
01  the  labors  of  these  devoted  women,  declaring  that  another 
famine  could  not  be.  Too  vast  an  area  of  the  earth's  surface 
was  under  cultivation,  and  the  means  of  rapid  transit  and 
communication  were  too  plentiful,  to  permit  of  such  a  mis- 
fortune. If  famine  threatened  any  part  of  the  world,  word 
of  it  could  come  in  the  twinkling*  of  an  eye,  and  millions  on 
millions  of  tons  of  food-stuffs,  speedily  transported  to  the 
scene,  would  stave  off  the  straitness  and  render  the  calamity 
impossible. 

The  Spectre  of  Famine.. — Alas  for  those  who  put 
their  trust  in  the  arm  of  flesh!  In  spite  of  the  vast  and 
ever-increasing  productivity  of  the  soil ;  in  spite  of  railroads, 
steamships,  and  telegraphs,  spreading  a  network  of  steel 
and  electricity  over  the  face  of  the  planet,  this  was,  and  is 
still,  a  famine-threatened  world.  Europe  calls  upon  Amer- 
ica for  food;  America  generously  responds;  but  as  fast  as 
she  consigns  her  cargoes  of  foodstuffs  to  the  needy  nations, 
the  merciless  and  devouring  submarine  sends  them  to  the 
bottom  of  the  sea.  Such  indeed  was  the  situation.  The 
floor  of  the  ocean  is  strewn  with  the  wrecks  of  transports 


D.  and  C.  87  :6. 
5 


66  SRBRSIIIP  .1X1)  PROPHECY. 

whose  mission  was  to  carry  bread  to  the  starving  millions  of 
other  lands.  And  where  was  the  man,  uninspired  of 
Heaven,  who  could  have  anticipated  such  a  catastrophe? 

Our  nation  became  aroused  to  the  necessity  existing  for 
llie  avoidance  of  waste  and  the  conservation  of  food  stuffs. 
/\11  civilized  countries  awakened  to  the  same  urgent  call.  The 
"^Momion"  grain-storing  movement  was  no  longer  a  joke — 
a  target   for  ridicule.     The  gaunt   spectre  of  Famine  had 
shown  a  glimpse  of  his  face,  and  the  whole  world  trembled 
at  the  prospect.     The  God  of  Joseph  and  of  Brigham  hod 
vindicated  the  patient  labors  of  His   faithful  handsmaids, 
and   fulfilled  in  ])art  the  solemn  fordbodings  of  prophecy. 
"Mormon"  Grain  for  the  Government. — Not  the  least 
item  of  interest  connected  with  this  subject,  is  the  fact  that 
tlie  Ignited  States    Government,  through  its  Food  Adminis- 
trator, in  May,  1918,  made  request  upon  the  authorities  of 
the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints,   for  the 
turning  in  of  all  the  Relief  Society  wheat  then  on  hand,  for 
use  in  the  war.     The  request  was  cheerfully  complied  with, 
225,CCO  bushels  of  wheat  being  promptly  furnished  by  the 
Church  to  the  Federal  Government. 

The  Drought  of  1919.— How  easily  a  famine  could 
come,  was  shown  during  the  prolonged  drought  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1919,  when  throughout  the  Intermountain  West  and 
in  regions  beyond,  lands  usually  productive  lay  parching  for 
many  weeks  under  the  torrid  rays  of  the  sun.  As  a  result, 
millions  of  acres  of  growing  grain,  especially  in  the  dry- 
farming  districts,  i)erished  for  want  of  moisture.  And  yet 
there  are  men  who  deem  human  powers  and  earthly  re- 
sources all-sufficient,  and  who  declare,  in  the  face  of  proph- 
ecy, that  famine  and  war  are  obsolete  and  never  again  can 
be. 

A  Scholar's  Opinion. — Such  a  pronouncement,  as  to 
war,   was   made   rej^eatedly.   in   public,  only  a   short   while 


THE  PLACE  OE  SAEETY. 


67 


before  the  World  War  broke  out.  That  spleiuhd  scholar 
and  publicist,  David  Starr  Jordan,  expressed  by  ton-ue 
and  pen  his  positive  conviction  that  another  -reat  conflict, 
in  this  advanced  and  cultured  a-e,  was  humanly  inipossil^le 
-it  simply  could  not  come/  But  Another  had  said,  two 
thousand  years  before :  ''Such  things  must  come"/  And  not 
long  after  the  delivery  of  Doctor  Jordan's  optimistic,  well- 
meant  prediction,  the  greatest  hell  of  conflict  that  this  world 
has  ever  known  burst  forth  and  well-nigh  wrapt  the  globe 
in  a  mantle  of  smoke  and  flame. 

The  One  Safe  Guide.— "Men  may  come  and  men  may 
go,"  Init  God  and  Truth  "go  on  forever."  Heaven  and 
Earth  mav  pass,  luit  the  divine  word,  by  whomsoever 
spoken,  will  endure  unshaken  "amid  the  wreck  of  matter 
and  the  crash  of  worlds."  The  sure  word  of  prophecy, 
flowing  from  the  fountain  of  the  Spirit,  is  the  one  safe 
guide  through  the  chaos  of  the  present  and  the  mystical 
mazes  of  the  future. 

A  Prophet's  Voice.— More  firmly  founded  than  the 
scholarly  utterance  in  question,  was  a  prediction  made  by 
President  Wilford  Woodruff,  at  Brigham  City,  Utah,  in 
the  summer  of  1894.  In  the  course  of  a  public  address,  re- 
ferring to  the  near  approach  of  the  judgments  of  the  last 

T'^There  is  no  war  coming,"  said  Doctor  Jordan  to  the  press 
representatives  who  flocked  to  interview  him  on  his  return    in  1910, 
from  Europe,  where  he  had  been  lecturmg  on  "Universal  Peace 
-The  only  ba  tie  between  England  and  Germany  will  be  on  paper 
In  his  book,  "War  and  Waste,"  published  a  few  y--.^^  ^'^  ^  ^  ^ 
of  the  "Great  War  of  Europe  which  never  comes       .  ^^^  ^^^^"^^^'^ 
will  not  find  the  money  for  such  a  fight,  the  industries  of  Europe 
will  not   maintain   it.   the   statesmen   cannot.     .     .     .   There   will    be 
no  general  war  until  the  masters  direct  the  fighters  to  fight,      i  he 
masters  have  much  to  gain,  but  vastly  more  to  lose,  and  their  signa 
will  not  be  given."     In  August,  1912,  the  Doctor  delivered  a  spoken 
address  to  the  same  effect  in  the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle.     This  was 
just  two  years  before  the  war  that  '^could  not  come  —came. 
/,  Matt.  24:6. 


68  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY. 

days,  the  venerable  leader  said:  ''Great  changes  are  at  onr 
doors.  The  next  twenty  years  will  see  mighty  changes 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth."  And  it  was  just  twenty 
years,  or  in  the  summer  of  1914,  when  the  terrible  strife 
that  has  wrought  so  many  mighty  changes  swept  like  a 
whirlwind  over  the  nations. 

Other  Prophetic  Warnings. — One  could  almost  be- 
lieve that  President  Woodruff's  fellow  Apostle,  Orson 
Pratt,  w^as  gazing  with  seeric  vision  upon  the  same  dread- 
ful picture,  when  he  thundered  into  the  ears  of  the  world 
this  solemn  admonition :  "A  voice  is  heard  unto  the  ends 
of  the  Earth!  A  sound  of  terror  and  dismay!  A  sound 
of  nations  rushing  to  battle  !  Fierce  and  dreadful  is  the  con- 
test!  Mighty  kingdoms  and  empires  melt  away!  The  de- 
stroyer has  gone  forth ;  the  pestilence  that  walketh  in 
darkness;  the  plagues  of  the  last  days  are  at  hand;  and 
v^dio  shall  be  able  to  escape?  None  but  the  righteous;  none 
but  the  upright  in  heart. "^ 

Eight  years  later  this  same  Apostle,  then  at  Liverpool, 
about  to  embark  for  America,  issued  to  the  inhabitants  of 
Great  Britain  this  'Prophetic  Warning":        * 

"If  you  will  not  repent  and  unite  yourselves  with 
God's  Kingdom,  then  the  days  are  near  at  hand  when  the 
righteous  shall  be  gathered  out  of  your  midst.  And  woe 
unto  you  v^hen  that  day  shall  come,  for  it  shall  be  a 
•day  of  vengeance  upon  the  British  nation!  .  .  .  Your 
armies  shall  perish;  your  maritime  forces  shall  cease; 
your  cities  shall  be  ravaged,  burned  and  made  desolate, 
and  your  strongholds  shall  be  thrown  down ;  the  poor 
shall  rise  against  the  rich,  and  their  storehouses  and  their 
fine  mansions  shall  be  pillaged,  their  merchandise  and 
their  gold  and  their  silver  and  their  rich  treasures  shall  be 

g,  'The  Kingdrm  of  Cod,"  July,  1849. 


THE  PLACE  OF  SAFETY.  69 

plundered.  Then  shall  the  lords  and  nobles  and  the  mer- 
chants of  the  land,  and  all  in  high  places,  l^e  broui^ht  down 
and  shall  sit  in  the  dust  and  howl  for  the  miseries  that 
shall  be  upon  them.  And  they  that  trade  by  sea  shall 
lament  and  mourn  ;  for  their  traffic  shall  cease."'' 

Saviors  of  the  Nation. — To  escape  the  judgments 
hanging  over  the  wicked,  and  find  a  place  where  they  might 
worship  God  unmolested,  the  Latter-day  Saints  fled  to  the 
Rocky  ^Mountains.  Here,  and  here  only,  during  the  tem- 
porary isolation  sought  and  found  l)y  them  in  the  chambers 
of  ''the  everlasting  hills,"  could  they  hope  to  be  let  alone 
long  enough  to  become  strong  enough  to  accomplish  their 
greater  destiny.  For  there  was  more  in  that  enforced  exo- 
dus and  the  founding  of  this  mountain-girt  empire  than  the 
surface  facts  reveal.  If  tradition  can  be  relied  upon,  Jo- 
seph Smith  prophesied  that  the  Elders  of  Israel  would  save 
this  Nation  in  the  hour  of  its  extremest  peril.  At  a  time 
when  anarchy  would  threaten  the  life  of  the  Government, 
and  the  Constitution  would  be  hanging  as  by  a  thread,  the 
maligned  and  misunderstood  "Mormons"- — always  patriotic, 
and  necessarily  so  from  the  very  genius  of  their  religion — 
would  stand  firm  upon  Freedom's  rocky  ramparts,  and  as 
champions  of  law  and  order,  of  liberty  and  justice,  call  to 
their  aid  in  the  same  grand  cause  kindred  spirits  from  every 
part  of  the  nation  and  from  every  corner  of  the  world.    All 


h,  "i\lill.  Star"  Oct.  24,  1857.  Orson  Pratt,  then  presiding  over 
the  European  Mission,  had  been  called  home,  owing  to  a  prospect 
of  serious  trouble  between  Utah  and  the  United  States  Government, 
A  false  report  that  the  "Mormons"  were  in  rebellion  against  the 
Federal  authority  had  caused  the  Government  to  send  an  army, 
under  General  Albert  Sidney  Johnston,  to  put  down  the  alleged  in- 
surrection. Brigham  Young,  Governor  of  the  Territory  (now  State) 
of  Utah,  proclaimed  martial  law  and  made  preparation  to  resist  the 
"invaders."  A  part  of  the  preparation  was  the  withdrawal  of  all 
"Mormon"  missionaries  from  the  outside  world.  It  remains  but  to 
say  that  'The  Utah  War"  ended  by  peaceable  adjustment  and  with- 
out bloodshed. 


70  SEERSHIP  AND  PROPHECY' 

this  preparatory  to  a  mighty  movement  that  would  sweep 
every  form  of  evil  from  off  the  face  of  the  land,  and  rear 
the  Zion  of  God  upon  the  spot  consecrated  for  that  pur- 
pose. This  traditional  utterance  of  their  martyred  Seer  is 
deeply  imhedded  in  the  heart  and  hope  of  the  "Mormon" 
people. 

"Mormonism's"  Monument. — The  State  of  Utah 
with  its  fringe  of  offspring"  settlements,  is  no  ade- 
quate monument  to  Latter-day  Israel.  Zion  is  their  monu- 
ment, and  it  will  stand  in  Jackson  County,  IMissouri. 
Ephraim  is  but  getting  ready  for  his  mighty  mission — the 
Lion  crouching  before  he  springs. 


PART   THREE 


A  MARVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 


ARTICLE  TEN. 

The  Wisdom  That  Perishes. 

The   wisdom   of  their   wise   men    shall   perish,   and   the   under- 
standing of  their  prudent  men  shall  be  hid. — Isaiah  29:14, 

The  Wise  and  Prudent.^ — Most  strikingly  have  these 
prophetic  words  been  realized  by  "Mormonism,"  in  its  re- 
lations to  the  lofty  and  the  learned  who  have  endeavored  in 
a  worldly  way  and  by  means  of  hnnian  wisdom,  to  account 
for  and  dispose  of  it.  Strange  it  is  that  men  and  v^omen, 
intelligent,  educated  and  profound,  do  not  see  in  this  great 
religious  phenomenon  something  more  than  a  topic  to  be 
treated  lightly,  or  in  a  spirit  of  harshness  and  intolerance. 
Giants  in  intellect  as  to  other  themes,  when  they  deal  with 
tlie  doctrines,  aims  and  attitude  of  the  Latter-day  Saints, 
they  seem  suddenly  changed  into  dwarfs,  mere  children,  as 
powerless  to  cope  with  the  mighty  problem  as  were  the 
learned  Rabbis  in  the  Temple  with  the  youthful  and  divine 
Son  of  God. 

Especially  is  this,  the  case  when  they  approach  the  ques- 
tion in  a  captious  mood,  determined  to  find  fault,  to  berate 
and  ridicule,  rather  than  to  fairly  investigate.  They  cannot 
analyze,  cannot  even  grasp  it,  and  appear  incapable  of  form- 
ing any  just  or  adequate  conception  regarding  it.  To  reply 
to  all  the  bitter  assaults  made  upon  my  religion  and  my 
people  would  be  impossible,  even  v^ere  it  v^^orth  v^hile.  I 
shall  not  attempt  the  hopeless  task.  It  will  sufhce  my  pur- 
pose to  consider  here  some  of  the  more  temperate  judg- 
ments passed  upon  the  subject,  giving  to  each  such  com- 
ment as  may  be  deemed  necessary. 


7.\  A  MARl'UL  AXD  A  U'OXDER. 

A  Catholic  Opinion. — Many  years  ago  there  came  to 
L'tah  a  learned  doctor  of  (Hvinity,  a  member  of  the  Ronian 
Caiholic  Church.  I  Iccame  well  acquainted  with  him,  and 
we  conversed  freely  and  frankly.  A  great  scholar,  with 
perhaps  a  dozen  languages  at  his  tongue's  end,  he  seemed  to 
know  all  about  theology,  law,  literature-  science  and  phil- 
osophy, and  was  never  weary  of  displaying  his  vast  erudi- 
tion. One  day  he  said  to  me :  "You  Mormons  are  all  ignor- 
amuses. You  don't  even  know  the  strength  of  your  own 
position.  It  is  so  strong  that  there  is  only  one  other  tenable 
in  the  whole  Christian  world,  and  that  is  the  position  of  the 
Catholic  Church.  The  issue  is  between  Catholicism  and 
Mormonism.  If  we  are  right,  you  are  wrong;  if  you  are 
right,  we  are  wrong;  and  that's  all  there  is  to  it.  The  Pro- 
testants haven't  a  leg  to  stand  on.  If  we  are  wrong,  they 
are  wrong  with  us,  for  they  were  a  part  of  us  and  went  out 
from  us ;  while  if  we  are  right,  the}-  are  apostates  whom  we 
cut  off  long  ago.  If  we  really  have,  as  we  claim,  the  apos- 
tolic- succession  from  St.  Peter,  there  was  no  need  for 
Joseph  Smith  and  ]\[ormohism;  ])ut  if  we  have  not  that  suc- 
cession, then  such  a  man  as  Joseph  Smith  was  necessary, 
and  Mormonism's  attitude  is  the  only  consistent  one.  It  is 
either  the  perpetuation  of  the  Gospel  from  ancient  times,  or 
the  restoration  of  the  Gospel  in  latter  days." 

My  reply  was  substantially  as  follows:  'T  agree  with 
you.  Doctor,  in  nearly  all  that  you  have  said,  but  don't  de- 
ceive yourself  with  the  notion  that  we  "jMormons"  are  not 
aware  of  the  strength  of  our  position.  We  are  better  aware 
of  it  than  auNone  else.  We  have  not  all  been  to'  college ;  we 
cannot  all  si)eak  the  dead  languages ;  we  may  be  'ignor- 
amuses,' as  you  say ;  but  we  know  that  we  are  right,  and  we 
Imow  that  you  are  wrong.''  I  was  just  as'  frank  with  him  as 
lie  had  been  with  me. 


77/7:   / 1  ISDOM  THA  T  PERISHES.  75 

An  Episcopal  View. — At  a  later  period  I  conversed 
with  another  man  of  cnltnre,  a  1)ishop  of  the  Episcopal 
Chnrch.  He  affirmed  that  if  Joseph  Smith,  at  the  heginning, 
had  hccome  acqnainted  with  that  religious  organization,  he 
would  have  heen  content,  and  would  have  looked  no  further 
for  spiritual  light.  "But,"  said  the  Bishop,  "Joseph  encoun- 
tered the  Methodists,  the  Baptists,  the  Presbyterians,  and 
other  sects;  and  their  creeds  failing  to  satisfy  him,  he 
sought  elsewhere.  Now^  the  Episcopalians  have  an  unbroken 
succession  of  authority  all  down  the  centuries,  and  if  Joseph 
Smith  had  only  formed  their  acquaintance,  he  would  never 
have  gone  to  the  trouble  of  organizing  another  church." 

A  Psychological  Notion. — Still  another  scholar,  a  stu- 
dent of  psychology  and  an  applicant  for  a  doctor's  degree 
cit  Yale  Universit3%  presented,  in  a  thesis  forming  the  basis 
for  the  degree,  the  theory  that  Joseph  Smith  was  an  epilep- 
tic, and  that  this  accounted  for  his  mental  attitude  and 
marvelous  assertions.  That  is  to  say,  the  Seer  did  not 
actually  behold  the  wonderful  manifestations  described  by 
him,  but  only  imagined  that  he  beheld  them.  A  distinct  de- 
parture, this,  from  the  charg'e  of  conscious  duplicity,  usual- 
ly flung  at  the  founder  of  "Mormonism."  Ele  was  sincere, 
then,  however  much  mistaken,  and  was  not  guilty  of  intent 
to  defraud.  Soi  far,  so  good.  But  in  the  mind  of  the  author 
of  this  remarkable  hypothesis,  the  magnificent  organiza- 
tion of  the  "]\Iormon"  Church,  conceded  by  intelligent  ob- 
servers of  all  creeds  and  parties  to  be  one  of  the  most  per- 
fect systems  of  government  in  existence,  to  say  nothing  of 
its  sublime  doctrines,  replete  with  poetr}"-  and  philosophy, 
couched  in  logical  and  majestic  phrasing — all  this  sprang 
from  the  diseased  brain  of  a  fourteen-year-old  boy  who  had 
fallen  in  an  epileptic  fit!   Self-evident  absurdities  need  no 


75  A  MARVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

argument.  They  have  only  to  be  stated,  and  they  confute 
themselves.^ 

Learning's  Lack  of  Knov^ledge. — And  these  are  some 
of  the  views  that  learned  men  take  of  ''Mormonism." 
With  all  their  learning,  they  are  not  able  to  come  to  a 
knowledge  of  the  Truth.  They  do  not  begin  to  dream  of  the 
greatness  of  God's  work,  the  grandeur  of  Christ's  cause. 
They  comprehend  but  in  part  its  real  aims  and  attitude. 
Even  the  most  conservative  assume  that  Joseph  Smith 
stumbled  upon  something  of  which  he  did  not  know  the 
true  value,  and  that  it  was  sheer  luck  which  gave  to  this 
religion  its  vantage  ground,  its  recognized  strength  of 
position.  Never  was  there  a  grosser  error.  There  are  con- 
cepts as  much  higher  than  these,  as  the  heavens 
are  higher  than  the  earth.  The  ''Mormons"  are 
not  the  "ignoramuses,"  when  it  comes  to  a  consideration  of 
the  Gospel's  mighty  themes. 

Spiritual  Illumination. — Yet  it  is  not  because  of  na- 
tive "smartness' — not  because  the  followers  of  Joseph 
Smith  are  brainier  than  other  people,  that  they  have  a 
greater  knowledge  of  God  and  are  capable  of  loftier  ideals 
in  religion.  It  is  because  they  have  received,  through  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  perceptive,  power,  a  spiritual 
illumination,  which  the  world,  with  all  its  learning,  does 
not  possess,  and  without  which  no  man  can  comprehend 
Divinity  or  divine  purposes.  It  cannot  be  had  from  books  or 
schools.  Colleges  and  universities  cannot  impart  it.  It  comes 
only  in  one  way — God's  way,  not  man's.  The  Latter-day 
Saints  possess  it  because  they  have  bowed  to  the  will 
of  Heaven  and  rendered  obedience  to  its  laws,  thus  mak- 


a,  For  further  particulars  of  the  epileptic  theory,  see  Woodbridge 
Riley's  book,  "The  Founder  of  Mormonism,"  and  Robert  C.  Webb's 
fidmirable  answer  thereto  in  Chapter  26  of  "The  Real  Mormoni.«^m," 


THE  UlSDOM  THAT  PERISHES.  77 

ing  themselves  worlhy  of  the  inestimable  boon.  All  men  may 
have  it  upon  precisely  the  same  conditions. 

Still  Another  Misconception. — My  Episcopalian 
friend  said  to  me  on  another  occasion:  "My  main  objection 
to  Mormonism  is  its  narrowness,  its  illiberality.  You 
Mormons  are  not  interested  in  anything  going  on  outside 
of  your  own  social  and  religious  system.  You  are  in- 
sulated, wrapped  up  in  yourselves,  you  take  no  note  of 
what  other  peoples  are  doing,  and  you  give  them  no 
credit  for  the  good  they  accomplish.  "For  instance" — he 
went  on — "the  Bible  is  retranslated,  with  a  view  to  mak- 
ing it  plainer  and  more  intelligible ;  but  you  attach  no  im- 
portance to  work  of  that  kind.  Ancient  ruins  are  uncovered, 
buried  civilizations  brought  to  light,  mystical  inscriptions 
on  old-time  obelisks  deciphered  and  interpreted,  in  order 
to  acquaint  the  present  with  the  past ;  but  you  put  no  value 
upon  such  enterprise.  Hospitals  are  founded;  missions 
maintained ;  Christ's  name  is  carried  to  the  heathen ;  the 
Bible  is  published  by  millions  of  copies,  and  persistent  ef- 
forts are  made  to  place  one  in  every  home.  But  you  take 
no  account  of  these  things ;  you  do  not  commend  such 
labors — you  deem  them  all  vain  and  of  no  worth." 

Not  Narrow  and  Illiberal. — The  Bishop's  remark  sur- 
prised me.  I  was  astonished  that  one  so  well  informed  in 
other  ways  could  entertain  such  an  opinion  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints.  There  may  be  such  a  thing  as  a  narrow 
"Mormon;"  there  may  be  such  a  thing  as  a  narrow  notion 
in  the  mind  of  some  "Mormon;"  but  there  never  has  been 
and  never  will  be  such  a  thing  as  a  narrow  "Mormon- 
i-m."  To  those  who  know  it  best,  it  is  a  synonym  for  large- 
ness and  liberality,  another  name  for  all  that  is  generous 
charitable  and  sublime. 

Takes  Note  of  All. — So  far  from  ignoring  what  other 


78  ./  M.lRrEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

peoples  and  other  systems  are  doing',  the  typical  "Mormon" 
takes  careful  note  of  all  that  ha]>pens ;  and  the  spirit  of 
his  religion,  ''the  Spirit  that  searcheth  all  things,"  enables 
him  to  assign  events  and  achievements  to  their  proper 
place  in  the  universal  scheme,  lie  ap])reciates  and  ap- 
];lau(Is  every  stej)  in  the  march  of  progress.  "If  there  is 
anything  virtuous,  lovely,  or  of  good  report,  or  praise- 
worthy, we  seek  after  these  things."  So  says  the  Church  in 
its  Articles  of  Faith. 

The  Fruit  of  Falsehood. — How,  then,  do  such  gross 
misunderstanding's  arise?  They  spring  from  prejudice  and 
faulty  inference.  They  are  the  fruit  of  falsehood,  and  of 
that  propensity  in  most  people  for  allowing  themselves  to 
be  influenced  by  a  one-sided  statement — too  often  by  mere 
rumor  and  hearsay.  Confounding  principle  with  practice, 
they  mistake  the  conduct  and  expressions  of  individuals 
connected  with  a  cause,  for  the  cause  itself,  its  character, 
its  spirit,  and  the  ends  at  which  it  aims. 

Translation  and  Discovery. — Contrary  to  my  Chris- 
tian friend's  erroneous  deduction,  the  Latter-day  Saints 
arc  interested  in  the  retranslation  of  the  Scriptures.  And 
why  should  they  not  be?  Joseph  Smith  was  a  translator. 
Did  he  not  translate  the  Book  of  Mormon  and  the  Book  of 
Abraham?  We  believe  the  Bible  to  be  the  word  of  God  only 
so  far  as  it  has  been  translated  correctly.  Our  Prophet 
cdso  revised.  b\-  the  S])irit  of  Revelation,  the  English  version 
of  the  Heljrew  Scriptures,  making  it  in  many  respects  more 
com])rehcnsible,  and  at  the  same  time  restoring  to  it  many 
"])lain  a:Hl  j^recious  things"  that  had  been  taken  away.^' 
V\'h)'  should  we  not  attach  importance  to  work  of  that  kind? 

As  for  archaeological  discoveries,  we  hail  them  with  joy, 
especially  those  that  throw   any  light  u])on  the     Book  of 


b,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1.  p.  132.     1  Ncphi  13:35,  40. 


777/1  //■  ISDOM  THAT  PERISHES.  79 

iMornion,  that  silent  witness  "whispering  from  tlie  dust"^  of 
A-nierica's   "b.nried   civilizations." 

Christian  Endeavor  and  "Mormon"  Propaganda. — Go 
on,  good  Christian  brother!  Build  as  many  hospitals  and 
found  as  many  missions  as  you  like.  Spread  the  glad  tid- 
ings over  the  world,  and  sound  the  Savior's  name  from 
pole  to  pole.  You  cannot  blazon  the  fame  of  Jesus  Christ  too 
far  or  too  widely  to  suit  us.  You  cannot  publish  too  many 
Bibles,  nor  place  them  in  too  many  homes.  Such  enterprise 
makes  the  follow-up  work  of  the  "Mormon"  missionary 
just  that  much  less  difficult.  It  virtually  introduces  the 
message  that  he  comes  to  proclaim.  The  Stick  of  Joseph 
and  the  Stick  of  Judah  are  "one  in  the  hand  of  Ephraim,"^' 
Latter-day  Israel,  chosen  and  commissioned  to  prepare  the 
wav  l:efore  Messiah's  comine. 


c.  Isa.  29  ;4. 

d,  Ezek.  37:16  19. 


ARTICLE   ELEVEN. 
The  God  Story. 

Greater  than  it  Appears. — ^"Mormonism"  is  a  much 
bigger  thing  than  Cathohc  scholars  or  Episcopal  bishops 
imagine.  It  is  only  a  nickname  for  the  Everlasting  Gospel, 
restored  to  earth  in  the  nineteenth  century,  that  it  might  be 
preached  ''to  every  nation  and  kindred  and  tongue  and  peo- 
ple."'' as  a  warning  to  the  world  that  the  end  of  wickedness 
i.;  nigb,  that  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand,  and  that 
tbe  Lord  whom  the  righteous  seek  is  about  to  "come  sud- 
denly to  his  Temple."^ 

The  Antiquity  of  the  Gospel. — The  Gospel  originated 
in  the  heavens  before  this  earth  Avas  formed,  and  was  re- 
vealed from  God  out  of  Eternity  at  the  very  beginning  of 
Time.  It  was  the  means  whereby  our  great  ancestor,  Adam, 
after  his  expulsion  from  Eden,  regained  the  Divine  Pres- 
ence from  which  he  had  been  banished ;  and  it  is  the  means 
whereby  his  posterity,  such  as  are  obedient  to  the  Gospel's 
requirements,  may  follow  him  into  the  Celestial  Kingdom. 
The  same  ladder  that  he  climbed,  until  beyond  the  reach 
of  the  fatal  consequences  of  his  transgression,  the  whole 
human  race,  inheriting  from  him  the  effects  of  the  fall, 
must  also  climb,  or  they  will  never  see  the  face  of  God  in 
eternal  glory. 

The  Path  to  Perfection. — But  the  Gospel  is  more  than 
a  means  of  escape  from  impending  ills.  To  all  good  Chris- 
tians it  is  as  a  life-boat,  or  a  fire-escape,  a  way  out  of 
a  perilous  situation.  To  the  Latter-day  Saints,  it  is  all  this 


a,  Rev.  14:6. 

b,  Mai.  3:1. 


THE  COD  STORY.  8l 

and  more.  A  divine  plan  for  human  progress,  the  fore- 
ordained Pathway  lo  Perfection — such  is  Christ's  Gospel,. 
as  revealed  to  and  proclaimed  by  Joseph  the  Seer. 

The  Word  Made  Flesh.— The  English  word  "Gospel" 
comes  from  the  Anglo-Saxon  "Godspell"  or  God-story — 
the  Story  of  God.  It  derives  its  significance  from  that  great 
central  idea  of  the  Christian  faith,  the  coming  of  God  as 
the  Son  of  God  to  redeem  and  save  mankind.  "God  himself 
shall  come  down  among  the  children  of  men,  and  shall  re- 
deem his  people ;  and  because  he  dwelleth  in  flesh,  he 
shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God."'^'  The  fulfillment  of  this 
and  similar  foretellings  is  recorded  in  the  opening  verses  of 
the  Gospel  according  to  St.  John,  referring  to  ''The  Word" 
that  was  in  the  beginning  'Svith  God" — the  Word  that  "was 
God,"  and  was  "made  flesh."  In  Him,  as  Paul  affirms, 
"dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily."'^ 

Basic  Principles.^ — -When  we  consider  the  Gospel, 
tiicrefore,  we  should  bear  in  mind  that  the  term  means 
something  more  than  faith,  repentance,  baptism,  and  the 
laying  on  of  hands  for  the  gift  (giving)  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  with  other  rituals  cind  requirements  in  the  Church 
of  Christ.  We  cannot  separate  "the  laws  and  ordinances  of 
the  Gospel"  from  the  basic  principles  upon  which  they  rest 
— the  mighty  foundation  stones  of  Sacrifice  and  Redemp- 
tion, without  which  all  this  sacred  legislation  would  be  of 
no  effect.  Nor  can  the  basic  principles  and  powers  that  vit- 
alize and  make  operative  these  laws  and  ordinances  be  dis- 
sociated from  the  idea  of  Eternal     Progression,  the  great 


c,  Mosiah  15:1.  2;  v3 :5.  The  joyful  intelligence  of  the  advent 
of  the  World's  Redeemer,  proclaimed  by  angels  to  the  shepherds 
on  the  Judean  hills  (Luke  2:10),  furnishes  another  name  for  the 
Gospel — "good  tidings,"  or,  as  otherwise  rendered,  "glad  tidings  of 
great  joy." 

d,  Col.  2:9.     Compare  Ether  3:14,  and  Alma  11:38,  39. 


82         .         A  MARJ^EL  AXD  A  U'OXDER. 

aiul   ]3aramoiint  purpose   for   wliich  the   Gospel  code     was 
framed,  the  Gospel  in  its  fulness  instituted/ 

The  Complete  Story. — The  Gospel,  in  its  fullest  scope 
of  meaning,  signifies  everything  connected  with  the 
wondrous  career  of  that  Divine  Being  who  was  known 
among  men  as  Jesus  of  Xazareth,  but  who  was  and  is  no 
other  than  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Israel,  who  ''came  unto  his 
own,"  and  was  rejected  by  them,  crucified  at  their  instiga- 
tion, and  died  to  redeem  the  world/  The  accounts  given  by 
jMatthew,  ^'ark,  Luke  and  John  are  properly  termed 
*'gospelb,"  for  they  are  narratives  of  the  personal  ministry 
0*"  our  r^ord.  But  they  are  only  parts  of  the  complete  God- 
Story.^  The  Savior's  life,  death,  resurrection  t.iid  ascension, 
with  the  conditions  prescribed  by  him  upon  which  fallen 
man  might  profit  further  from  his  sacrifice  for  human  re- 
demption— these  are  all  gospel  features,  but  not  the  Gospel 
in  its  entiretv. 


c.  All  fulness  is  relative,  as  pertaining  to  the  revealed  word  of 
God.  There  can  be  no  absolute  fulness  with  man  until  everything 
is  made  known  to  him.  The  fulness  of  the  Gospel,  as  delivered  to 
the  Nephites  and  other  ancient  peoples,  was  not  so  complete  as  is 
the  fulness  enjoyed  by  the  Latter-day  Saints.  Truth  is  always  the 
same,  but  more  of  its  principles  have  been  revealed  in  modern  times 
than  at  any  previous  period.  And  the  end  is  not  yet;  for,  as  our 
Prophet  declares  :  "Those  things  which  never  have  been  revealed 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  have  been  kept  hid  from  the 
wise  <-ind  prrdent,  shall  be  re^■Cc1l^d  unto  babes  and  sucklings  i'l 
this,  tlie  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times."  (D.  and  C.  128:18.) 
Such  an  outpouring  of  truth  and  light  can  come  only  to  a  people  pre- 
pared for  it.  "When  that  which  is  perfect  is  come,  then  that  which 
is  in  part  shall  be  done  away"  (I  Cor.  13:10).  Until  then  a  com- 
parative fulness,  or  all  that  the  finite  mind  can  contain  of  infinite 
wisdom,  must  suffice  human  ,'ispiration  and  continue  to  be  the  lot 
even  of  the  most  enlightened. 

/,  D.  and   C.   110:1-4.       ' 

p.  The  book  of  Isaiah  is  sometimes  called  "the  fifth  g(^spel,"  it 
having  so  much  to  say  ahont  the  coming  Redeemer;  and  just  as 
fittingly  might  the  third  hook  of  Nephi  be  termed  a  "gospel,"  nar- 
rating as  it  does  the  risen  Christ's  personal  ministrations  to  the 
descendants  of  Lehi. 


THE  GOD  STOR'\  83 

The  full  "Story"  of  the  God  \vhc»l,  'led  that  man  might 
live,  involves  events  both  past  and  future,  evenis  pr-^ 
mortal  and  post-mortal,  scenes  in  v^hich  He  was  chosen 
to  play  his  mighty  part  in  the  great  tragedy  of  human  ex- 
perience, and  scenes  yet  to  come  in  which  He  will  make 
another  and  a  more  glorious  appearing  upon  the  stage  of 
Time,  enacting  the  illustrious  role  of  King  of  Kings  and 
reigning  over  the  earth  a  thousand  years. 

Essentials  to  Eternal  Progress. — Everything  vitally 
connected  with  man's  mortal  pilgrimage  was  understood 
and  arranged  before  that  pilgrimage  began.  Earth's  crea- 
tion was  but  one  of  the  pre-essentials.'^  The  means  of 
getting  man  down  upon  the  earth,  and  the  means  of  re- 
deeming him  from  the  fall,  had  also  to  be  provided.  The 
Gospel  was  instituted,  and  an  Executor  appointed  to  put 
it  into  effect;  the  machinery  constructed,  and  the  power 
then  turned  on.  Eternal  progress,  endless  exaltation,  were 
the  sublime  objects  in  view,  and  over  the  glad  prospect,  de- 
spite the  pain  and  sorrow  that  must  necessarily  intervene, 
"the  morning  stars  sang-  together,  and  all  the  sons  of 
God  shouted  for  joy."^' 

Elect  of  Elohim. — In  the  Eternal  Councils,  while 
tliC  creation  of  "an  earth"  w^as  in  contemplation,  the  ques- 
tion arose  as  to  who  among  the  Sons  of  Deity  should  re- 
deem man  from  the  fall.  Lucifer,  "an  angel  of  God  who 
was  in  authority  in  the  presence  of  God,"  would  fain  have 
been  selected  for  the  mighty  mission ;  but  his  scheme  for 
human  redemption  was  of  a  com]3ulsory  character,  destruc- 
tive of  the  free  agency  of  man.  Moreover,  this  "Son  of 
the  Alorning"  had  become  darkened  to  that  degree  that 
he  demanded,  in  recompense  for  his  proposed  service,  the 


h,  Al)r.  3  :24. 
i,  Job  38:7. 


84  A  MAiiVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

honor  and  glory  tlq:  belong  only  to  the  Highest.-''  There- 
fore was  he  rejec-  "  1,  and,  rebelling,  ''was  thrust  down 
from  the  presence'^  i  God  and  the  Son,  and  was  called 
Perdition,  for  the  ^  eavens  wept  over  him."^  "And  also  a 
third  part  of  the  hosts  of  heaven  turned  he  away  .  .  . 
because  of  their  agency."^ 

The  Chosen  of  the  Father  stood  first  among  all  the 
Sons  of  God.'"  He  is  the  Father's  first-begotten  in  the 
spirit,  and  his  only-begotten  in  the  flesh.  To  him  was 
assigned  the  role  of  Earth's  Redeemer.  And  while  revela- 
tion is  silent  upon  the  subject,  or  not  so  specific  in  their 
cases,  we  have  good  reason  to  believe  that  the  parts 
played  by  Adam  and  Eve  and  other  ''noble  and  great 
ones"  in  the  mighty  drama  of  Eternal  Progression,  were 
cast  at  the  same  time." 

The  Perfect  Plan. — The  Gospel,  Christ's  perfect  plan, 
unlike  the  defective  scheme  proposed  by  Lucifer,  gives  the 
right  of  choice  between  good  and  evil.  It  saves  men,  not  /// 
their  sins>  but  from  their  sins — liberates  them  from  spiritual 
darkness,  the  bondage  of  death  and  hell,  and  lifts  them 
into  the  joy  and  freedom  of  light  and  life  eternal.  Hence 
that  splendid  phrase,  that  majestic  synonoym,  used  by  the 
Apostle  James  in  describing  the  Gospel — "The  Perfect 
Law  of  Liberty."^ 

The  Purpose  Paramount. — The  grand  object  in  view 


;,  Moses  4:1-4. 

k,  D.  and  C.  76:25,  26. 

I,   lb.   29:36. 

"Satan  (it  is  possible)  being  opposed  to  the  will  of  his  Father, 
wished  to  avoid  the  responsibilities  of  this  position.  .  .  .  Pie 
probably  intended  to  make  men  atone  for  their  own  acts  by  an  act 
of  coercion  and  the  shedding  of  their  own  blood  as  an  atonement 
for  their  sins." — 'The  Mediation  and  Atonement,"  by  President 
John  Taylor,  pp.  96,  97. 

m,  Rom.  8 :29. 

n,  Abr.  3:23;  Jcr.  1  :5.  Mist.  Cb.  Vol.  6,  p.  364. 

o,  James  1 :25. 


THE  GOD  STORY.  85 

when  that  great  Law  was  instituted,  is  clearly,  though 
briefly,  outlined  in  the  following  passage  from  the  writ- 
ings of  Joseph  the  Seer: 

"The  first  principles  of  man  are  self-existent  with 
God.  .  .  Finding  he  was  in  the  midst  of  spirits  and  glory, 
because  he  was  more  intelligent  (he)  saw  proper  to  in- 
stitute laws  whereby  the  rest  could  have  a  privilege  to  ad- 
vance like  himself.  The  relationship  we  have  with  God 
places  us  in, a  situation  to  advance  in  knowledge.  He  has 
power  to  institute  laws  to  instruct  the  weaker  intelligences, 
that  they  may  be  exalted  with  himself,  so  that  they  may 
have  one  glory  upon  another."^ 

The  Benevolence  of  Deity. — And  thus  is  shown  the 
benevolence  as  well  as  the  power  of  Deity.  Our  Heavenly 
Father  is  no  monopolist.  Omnipotent  and  all-possessing, 
he  is  likewise  altruistic,  philanthropic.  He  employed  his 
superior  intelligence,  which  constitutes  his  glory,^  to  in- 


/i,  'Times  and  Seasons,"  Aug.  15,  1844;  "Improviement  Era," 
Jan..  1909. 

Our  Prophet's  simple  yet  sublime  setting  forth  is  far  more 
pointed  and  specific  than  the  presentment  made  by  Plato  of  a  doc- 
trine somewhat  similar.  The  Greek  philosopher,  as  quoted  by 
Emerson,  says :  "Let  us  declare  the  cause  which  led  the  Supreme 
Ordainer  to  produce  and  compose  the  universe.  He  was  good; 
and  he  who  is  good  has  no  kind  of  envy.  Exempt  from  envy,  he 
wished  that  all  things  should  be  as  much  as  possible  like  himself. 
Whosoever,  taught  by  wise  men,  shall  admit  this  as  the  prime  cause 
cf  the  origin  and  foundation  of  the  world,  will  be  in  the  truth" 
CTlato,"  Emerson's  "Representative  Men").  There  is  a  fitness, 
a  propriety,  in  man's  becoming  like  his  Maker — God's  child,  fash- 
ioned in  his  image  and  endowed  with  divine  attributes,  developing 
to  the  fulness  of  the  parental  stature,  as  taught  by  Joseph;  but  how 
the  same  can  be  predicated  of  "all  things,"  as  Plato  implies,  is  not 
so  clear.  That  the  lower  animals,  and  in  fact  all  forms  of  life,  are  to 
be  perpetuated  and  glorified,  is  more  than  an  inference  f^-'  -n  the 
teachings  cf  the  Prophet  (D.  and  C  29:24.  25:  77:2-4^  But 
imdoubtedly  all  will  retain  their  identity  in  their  respective  orders 
and  spheres.  No  creature  of  God's  excepting  man,  can  become  like 
God  in  the  fullest  and  highest  sense. 

q,  D.  and  C.  93:36. 


86  A  MARVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

stitulc  laws  whereby  the  lesser  spirits  surrounding  him 
might  advance  toward  the  lofty  plane  that  he  occupies.  He 
proposed  to  lift  them  to  his  own  spiritual  stature,  and 
share  with  them  the  empire   of  the  universe. 

Salvation  and  Exaltation. — The  Gospel  of  Christ  is 
termed  by  St.  Paul  "the  power  of  God  unto  salvation."'' 
Paul  might  have  gone  further,  had  he  been  so  inclined,  or 
had  it  been  timely.  He  could  have  shown  that  the  Gospel 
is  also  the  power  of  God  unto  exaltation,  a  plan  devised 
by  omnipotent  wisdom  whereby  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  Deity  may  advance  from  stage  to  stage  of  soul  de- 
velopment, until  they  become  like  their  heavenly  parents, 
the  Eternal  Father  and  Mother,  inheriting  endless  thrones 
and  dominions  and  receiving  ''a  fulness  of  joy.-^ 

This  is  exaltation.  It  is  more  than  salvation,  being  an 
extension  of  that  idea  or  condition — salvation  ''added 
upon;"  just  as%salvation  is  an  extension  of,  or  an  addition 
to,  the  idea  or  condition  of  redemption.  A  soul  may  be 
redeemed — that  is,  raised  from  the  dead —  and  yet  be  con- 
demned at  the  Final  Judgment  for  evil  deeds  done  in  che 
body.  Likewise  may. a  soul  be  saved,  and  yet  come  short  of 
the  glory  that  constitutes  exaltation.  To  redeem,  save  and. 
glorify,  is  the  threefold  mission  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

r,  Rom.  1  :16. 

s,  D.  and  C.  76:50-70;  93:33;   Abr.  3:26. 


ARTICLE  TWELVE. 

The  Great  Vicissitudes. 

Fall  and  Redemption. — The  Fall  of  Man  and  the  Re- 
demption from  the  h^all,  are  the  great  vicissitudes'  of  human 
experience.  One  is  Sequel  to  the  other,  and  both  are  steps  in 
the  march  of  eternal  progress.  The  Gospel,  therefore,  em- 
braces the  fall  as  well  as  the  redemption.  Both  were  essen- 
tial, and  both  were  preordained.  The. one  prepared  the 
way  before  the  other.  Had  there  been  no  fall,  there  could 
have  been  no  redemption ;  for  the  simple  reason  that 
there  would  have  been  nothing  to  redeem. 

The  Creation. — Preliminary  to  the  fall,  came  the 
creation.  Earth,  created  as  an  abode  and  a  place  of  jDro- 
bation  for  mortal  man,  was  not  made  out  of  nothing,  as 
luunan  theology  asserts,  but  out  of  previously  existing  ma- 
terials, as  divine  revelation  affirms.  Millions  of  earths  had 
been  created  in  like  manner  before  this  planet  rolled  into 
existence.'^ 

To  create  does  not  mean  to  make  something  out  of 
nothing.  Such  a  doctrine  is  neither  scientific  nor  scriptural: 
X  othing  remains  nothing,  of  necessity ;  and  no  power, 
human  or  divine,  can  make  it  otherwise.  Creation  is 
organization,  with  materials  at  hand  for  the  process. 
Jcseph  Smith's  position  upon  this  point,  f though  com- 
batted  by  doctors  of  divinity,  is  confirmed  by  the  most 
advanced  scientists  and  philosophers  of  modern  times.  The 
dogma  that  earth  was  made  out  of  nothing  is  an  attempt  to 
glorify  Deity  by  ascribing  to  him  the  power  to  perform  the 
impossible — to  do  that  which  cannot  be  done.  As  if  Deitv 


a,  Moses  1:4,  38;  7:30. 


8S  A  MARVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

could  be  glorified  with  anything  of  that  sort,  or  ^lad  need 
of  any  such  glorification.  It  is  also  an  effort  to  escape  from 
\\hat  many  relig'ious  teachers  consider  a  dilemma,  the 
other  horn  of  which  would  commit  them  to  what  they  mis- 
takenly deem  a  fallacy — namely,  the  eternity  and  self-ex- 
istence of  matter.^ 

Eternity  of  Matter. — "Mormonism"  stands  firm- 
footed  upon  this  ground.  It  holds  matter  to  be  uncreate- 
able,  indestructible,  without  beginning  or  end,  and  conse- 
quently eternal.^  As  for  modern  science,  here  are  a  few 
of  its  most  recent  conclusions  upon  the  point  at  issue.  Says 
Herbert  Spencer:  "The  doctrine  that  matter  is  indes- 
tructible has  become  a  commonplace.  All  the  apparent 
proofs  that  something  can  come  out  of  nothing,  a  wider 
knowledge  has  one  by  one  canceled  ("First  Principles"). 
And  John  Fiske  confirms  him  in  saying:  ''It  is  now  in- 
conceivable that  a  particle  of  matter  should  either  come 
into  existence,  or  lapse  into  non-existence"  ("Cosmic  Pliil- 
osophy").  Robert  K.  Duncan  clinches  the  argument  with 
the  emphatic  pronouncement:  'A\'e  cannot  create  some- 
thing- out  of  nothing"  ("New  Knowledge"). 

Spirit  and  Element.— But  Joseph  Smith  proclaimed 
it  first.  lie  declared  the  elements  eternal;^  and  even  went 

b.  The  Reverend  Baden  Powell,  of  Oxford  University,  quoted  in 
Kitto's  '^Cyclopedia  of  Biblical  Literature,"  says:  "The  idea  of 
'creation,'  as  meaning  absolutely  'making  out  of  nothing,'  or  calling 
into  existence  that  which  did  not  exist  hefore,  in  tlie  strictest  sense 
of  the  term,  is  net  a  doctrine  of  scripture;  but  it  has  been  held  by 
many  on  the  grounds  of  natural  theology,  as  enhancing  the  ideas  we 
form  of  the  divine  power,  and  more  especially  since  the  contrary 
must  imply  the  belief  in  the  eternity  and  self-existence  of  matter." 

r.  The  author  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  asserts  nothing  to 
the  contrary  when  he  says :  "Things  which  are  seen  were  not  made 
of  things  which  do  appear  aieb.  11:3).  The  "things"  referred  to 
("the  worlds"  that  were  "framed  bv  the  word  of  God")  had  ex- 
isted before,  in  other  forms,  invisible  to  mortal  eve  and  intangible 
to  human  touch. 

d,  D.  and  C.  93:33. 


THE   GREAT  VICISSITUDES.  89 

so  far  as  to  say:  "All  spirit  is  matter,  but  it  is  more  fine 
and  pure,  and  can  only  be  discerned  by  purer  eyes."'^ 
Eternal  spirit,  eternal  element,  these  are  the  ''materials" 
out  of  which  Earth  was  created — not  only  as  a  temporary 
abode  for  man,  but  as  an  eternal  place  of  residence  for 
the  righteous. 

The  Value  of  a  Body. — ^lan  needed  experience  in 
mortality,  in  the  midst  of  rudimcntal  conditions,  in 
Older  to  acquire  the  experience  that  would  fit  liim  for 
spheres  beyond.  Eirst,  however,  he  needed  a  body,  for  pur- 
poses of  increase  and  progression,  both  in  time  and  etern- 
ity. The  spirit  without  the  body  is  incomplete;  it  cannot 
propagate,  and  it  cannot  go  on  to  glory.  ''Spirit  and  ele- 
ment, inseparably  connected,  receiveth  a  fulness  of  joy ;  but 
when  separated  man  cannot  receive  a  fulness  of  joy."^  It 
is  a  reasonable  inference  that  our  spirits  advance  as  far  as 
they  can  before  they  are  given  earthly  bodies.  Having  re- 
ceived their  bodies,  they  are  in  a  position,  by  means  of 
the  Gospel  and  the  powers  of  the  Priesthood,  to  make 
further  progress  toward  perfection.  "We  came  to  this 
earth,"  says  Joseph  Smith,  "that  we  might  have  a  body,  and 
present  it  pure  before  God  in  the  celestial  kingdom.  The 
great  principle  of  happiness  consists  in  having  a  body."'^ 

Satan's  Punishment. — The  Prophet  thus  continues: 
"The  Devil  has  no  body,  and  herein  is  his  punishment.  .  . 
All  beings  who  have  bodies  have  power  over  those  who  have 
not."  The  reason  why  Satan  has  no  body  is  because  he  re- 
belled in  the  eternal  councils  when  the  Redeemer  of  the 
World  was  chosen.  All  who  followed  him  shared  a  similar 
fate.  Two  thirds  of  the  intelligences  then  populating  the 
spirit  world  remained  loyal,  and  as  a  reward     for     their 


e,  D.  and  C.  131:7. 

f,  lb.  93:33,  34. 

g,  "Compendium"  p.  288;  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,     p.  403. 


90  ./  MARVEL  AXD  A  JVOXDER. 

fidcliiN'  were  permitted  to  tabernacle  in  the  flesh.  One  third, 
rebelling  with  Lucifer,  w^ere  doomed  with  him  to  perdi- 
tion. Pending  their  final  fate,  these  unenAodied  fallen 
s]nrits  are  allowed  to  wander  U])  and  down  the  world, 
tempting  and  trying  its  human  inhabitants,  their  evil  activi- 
ties being  overruled  in  a  way  to  subserve  God's  purpose  in 
man's  probation. 

Placed  in  Eden. — hearth  ha\ing  been  prepared  for 
man,  Adam  and  Eve  were  placed  in  the  Garden  of  Eden — 
placed  there  to  become  mortal,  that  the  Lord's  ])urpose 
might  be  accomplished.  The  fall,  though  planned,  was  not 
compelled.''  ]\Ian  still  had  his  agency,  the  right  and  power 
of  choice. 

Innocent  in  the  Beginning. — The  Great  Creator,  on 
tie  morning  of  creation,  pronounced  "good"  all  that  He 
had  made.*  In  perfect  keeping  with  this,  modern  revela- 
tion declare^  that  ''every  spirit  of  man  was  innocent  in 
the  beginning."'  Consequently,  had  the  spirits  of  men  re- 
mained where  they  w^ere  before  Adam  fell,  they  would 
have  had  no  need  to  exercise  a  saving  faith,  no  need  to  re- 
pent or  to  be  baptized,  having  no  evil  practices  to  turn  from 
and  no  uncleanness  to  be  washed  aw^ay.  But  they  would 
have  remained  ignorant  as  well  as  innocent — ignorant  of 
things  necessary  to  their  further  progress.  Without  the  fall, 
they  could  have  advanced  no  further,  but  would  have  re- 
mained as  they  were,  "having  no  joy,  for  they  knew  no 
misery  ;  doing  no  good,  for  they  knew  no  sin.  .  .  .  Adam 
fell  that  men  might  be;  and  men  are  that  they  might  have 


joy.' 

^k 

i, 
J, 

AIoscs  3:17. 
Gen.  1:31. 
D.  c'lnd  C.  93:38. 
,  2  Ncphi  2:22-25. 

THE   GREAT  VICISSITUDES.  91 

The  Woman  Beguiled. — When  our  First  Parents 
partook  of  the  forbidden  fruit,  it  was  the  woman  who  was 
beguiled  by  the  Serpent  (Satan)  and  induced  to  go  con- 
trary to  the  divine  command.  The  man  was  not  deceived.' 
What  Adam  did  was  done  knowingly  and  after  full 
deliberation.  When  Eve  had  tasted  of  the  fruit,  Adam  did 
likewise  in  order  to  carry  out  anoth.er  comand,  the  first  that 
God  had  given  to  this  pair — the  command  to  "multiply 
and  replenish  the  earth."'"  Eve,  by  her  act,  had  separated 
herself  from  her  husband,  and  was  now  mortal,  while  he 
remained  in  an  immortal  state.  It  was  impossible,  there- 
fore, unless  he  also  became  mortal,  for  them  to  obey  the 
original  behest.  This  was  Adam's  motive.  This  was  his 
predicament.  He  was  facing  a  dilemma,  and  must  make 
choice  between  two  divine  commands.  He  disobeyed  in 
order  to  obey,  retrieving,  so  far  as  he  could,  the  situation 
resulting  from  his  wife's  disobedience.  Fully  aware  of 
what  would  follow,  he  partook  of  the  fruit  of  the  inhibited 
tree,  realizing  that  in  no  other  way  could  he  become  the 
progenitor  of  the  human   race. 

Adam  and  Abraham. — Perhaps  some  will  see  a  par- 
allel in  Adam's  case  and  Abraham's,  each  being  directed  to 
do  a  thing  that  could  not  be  done  unless  a  previous  re- 
quirement were  disregarded.  Thus,  Adam  was  warned  not 
to  eat  of  the  fruit  of  a  certain  tree — the  Tree  of  Knowledge 
of  Good  and  Evil;  yet  that  was  the  only  way  for  him  to 
reach  a  condition  where  lie  would  be  able  to  "replenish  the 
earth."  Abraham  was  forbidden  to  slay  his  son,  after  being 
commanded  to  "offer"  him." 


/,  1  Tim.  2:14. 

m,  Gen.  1 :28. 

n,  Some  commentators  hold  that  Abraham  misunderstood  the 
Lord's  command  to  "offer"  Isaac,  and  that  the  second  command, 
"lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad,"  was  given  in  explanation.  That 
the  Lord  did  not  intend  Isaac  to  be  slain,  is  evidenced  from  what 


92  A  MARVEL  AND  A  WONDER. 

But  there  was  this  important  difference  in  the  two 
cases.  The  second  command  to  Abraham  superseded 
the  first — canceled  it.  Not  so  with  Adam.  In  his  case 
the  later  law  left  unrepealed  the  earlier  enactment.  Both 
commandments  were  in  force ;  but  Adam  could  not  obey 
both.  What  was  to  be  done?  Wh}^,  just  what  was 
done — the  wisest  thing  possible  under  the  circumstances. 

Malum  Prohibitum. — Adam's  transgression,  though 
a  sin,  because  of  the  broken  law,  should  not  be  stressed  as 
an  act  of  moral  turpitude.  In  human  law,  which  is  based 
upon  divine  law,  there  are  two  kinds  of  offenses  in  g'en- 
eral,  described  in  Latin  terms  as  malum  per  se  and  rnaluin 
prohibitum.  Malum  per  se  means  "an  evil  in  itself,"  an  act 
essentially  wrong;  while  malum  prohibitum  signifies  "that 
which  is  wrong  because  forbidden  by  law."  Adam's  trans- 
gression was  malum  prohibitum;  and  the  consequent  descent 
from  an  immortal  to  a  mortal  condition,  was  the  Fall. 

A  Cause  For  Rejoicing. — Adam  and  Eve,  with  their 
e>es  open,  rejoiced  over  what  had  befallen  them,*'  evidently 
regarding  it  as  part  of  a  beneficent  plan  to  people  Earth 
and  afford  to  a  world  of  waiting  spirits — the  loyal  two- 
thirds  who  "kept  their  first  estate"  when  Lucifer  fell — the 
long  looked  for  opportunity  of  entering  upon  their  "second 
estate"  and  beginning  the  great  pilgrimage  to  perfection. 

No  License  for  Sin.— Let  it  not  be  supposed,  how- 
ever, that  disobedience  to  divine  requirements  is  or  ever 

\ 

ensued  ;  but  tliat  Abraham  misunderstood  the  original  behest  does 
not  follow.  In  order  to  make  the  sacrifice  of  "a  broken  heart  and 
a  contrite  spirit,"  and  merit  the  reward  of  his  obedience,  it  was 
necessary  that  Abraham  should  interpret  the  command  just  as  he 
did — as  a  commandment  to  slay.  'The  sacrifice  required  of  Abra- 
ham in  the  offering  of  Isaac,"  says  Joseph  Smith,  "shows  that  if 
a  man  would  attain  to  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  an  endless  life, 
he  must  sacrifice  all  things"  (Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,  p.  555).  This  was 
the  principle  that  Abraham  was  showing  forth,  and  it  must  have 
involved  a  real  and  terrible  trial  of  his  faith. 
Oy  Moses  5:10,  11. 


THE  GREAT  VlCLSSlTUDES.  93 

can  be  justifiable.  On  the  contrary,  obedience  is  the  great  law 
upon  which  all  blessings  are  predicated.^  What  was  done  by 
our  First  Parents  in  an  exceptional  instance  and  for  a 
special  purpose,  constitutes  no  license  for  men  to  commit 
sin.  Adam  and  Eve,  having  obeyed  God's  command  to 
''multiply  and  replenish,"  reaped  the  reward  of  their 
obedience.  But  they  had  to  be  punished  for  their  diso- 
bedience in  the  matter  of  the  forbidden  fruit.  ''The  wages 
of  sin  is  death."  The  fall  was  necessary,  but  it  had  to  be 
atoned  for:  it  could  not  be  justified.  "The  Lord  cannot 
look  upon  sin  with  the  least  degree  of  allowance."  He 
can  nullify  its  effects,  however,  and  bring  good  out  of 
evil.  Redemption  was  also  necessary,  and  the  Atonement 
preordained;  but  this  did  not  make  the  murder  of  the 
innocent  Savior  any  the  less  heinous.  The  perpetrators  of 
that  deed  were  guilty  of  a  crime— the  crime  of  crimes— 
and  their  punishment  was  inevitable.  Were  it  otherwise, 
God  would  not  be  just,  and  would  therefore  cease  to  be 
God.5 

Fruits  of  the  Fall.— The  fall  had  a  twofold  direction 
— downward,  yet  forward.  It  brought  man  into  the  world 
and  set  his  feet  upon  progression's  highway.  But  it  also 
brought  death,  with  all  its  sad  concomitants.  Not  such  a 
death  as  the  righteous  now  contemplate,  and  such  as  both 
righteous  and  unrighteous  undergo,  as  a  change  pre- 
paratory to  resurrection;  but  eternal  death — death  of  the 
spirit  as  well  as  the  body.  There  was  no  resurrection  when 
Adam  fell — not  upon  this  planet. 

The  World  in  Pawn. — Hell  had  seemingly  triumphed 


p,  D.  and  C.    130:20,  21. 

q,  The  principle  involved  in  this  discussion,  is  tersely  put  in  two 
lines  of  a  well  known  hymn,  frequently  sung  in  the  religious  as- 
semblies of  the  Latter-day  Saints: 

"Sacrifice  brings  forth  the  blessings  of  heaven." 

"Earth  must  atone  for  the  blood  of  that  man." 


94  A  MARlllL  AND  A  WONDER. 

over  man's — or  rather  over  woman's  weakness.  It  was  as  if 
the  world  had  been  put  in  pawn.  Death  was  the  pawn- 
broker, with  a  twofold  claim  upon  all  creation.  Everything 
pertaining  to  Earth  was  in  his  grasp,  and  there  was  no 
help  for  it  this  side  of  Heaven.  No  part  of  what  had  been 
pledged  could  l.e  used  as  the  means  of  redemption.  Adam 
could  not  redeem  himself,  great  and  mighty  though  he  was, 
in  the  spirit ;  for  he  was  no  other  than  Michael  the  Arch- 
angel, leader  of  the  heavenly  host  when  Lucifer  and  his 
legions  were  overthrown.  But  that  same  puissant  Michael 
was  now  a  weak  mortal  man,  under  the  penalty  of  a  broken 
law,  powerless  to  repair  the  ruin  he  had  wrought.  He  and 
the  race  that  was  to  spring  from  him  were  eternally  lost, 
unless  Omnipotence  would  intervene,  and  do  for  them  what 
they  could  not  do  for  themselves. 

Where  was  Redemption? — Redemption  must  come, 
11  at  all,  through  some  being  great  enough  and  powerful 
enough  to  make  an  infinite  atonement;  one  completely 
covering  the  far-reaching  effects  of  the  original  transgres- 
sion. The  scales  of  Eternal  Justice,  unbalanced  by  Adam's 
act,  had  to  be  repoised,  and  the  equilibrium  of  right  re- 
stored. \\'ho  could  do  this?  Who  w^as  able  to  mend  the 
broken  law,  bring  good  out  of  evil,  mould  failure  into  suc- 
cess, and  "snatch  victory  from  the  jaws  of  defeat?"  Where 
was  the  Moses  for  such  an  Exodus?  Where  the  de- 
liverance from  this  worse  than  Egyptian  bondage — a 
bondage  of  which  Egypt's  slavery  was  typical? 

The  Price  Paid. — The  life  of  a  God  was  the  price  of 
the  world's  freedom ;  and  that  price  was  ])aid  by  the  God  of 
Israel  (Jesus  on  Earth,  Jehovah  in  Heaven)  who  descended 
from  his  glorious  throne,  became  mortal,  and  by  sul)mitting 
tc  death,  ])roke  the  bands  of  death,  and  made  it  possible  for 
man  to  go  on  to  his  eternal  destiny.  This  spotless  Lamb,  the 


THE   GREAT  JICISSITUDES.  95 

great  Antitype  of  the  Passover,  gave  himself  as  an  offering 
for  sin,  and  by  the  shedding  of  his  own  l)lood,  paid  the 
debt  of  the  universe,  took  the  world  out  of  pawn,  and  be- 
came the  Author  of  Salvation  for  all  mankind.  Christ's 
atonement,  offsetting  Adam's  transgression,  brought  re- 
demption from  the  fall,  nullifying  its  evil  results,  con- 
serving its  good  results,  and  making  them  effectual  for 
man's  eternal  welfare. 

"We  Know  in  Part."— Why  the  Fall  and  the  Re- 
demption had  to  be,  we,  know  in  part,  for  God  has  revealed 
it.  But  we  do  not  know  all.  That  a  divine  law  was  broken, 
in  order  that  "men  might  be  ;"  and  that  reparation  had  to 
be  made,  in  order  that  men  "might  have  joy" — this  much 
is  known.  T'ut  the  great  why  and  wherefore  of  it  all  is 
a  deep  that  remains  unfathomed.  Why  it  was  necessary 
to  place  Adam  and  Eve  in  a  position  so  contradictory, 
where  they  w^ere  commanded  not  to  do  the  very  thing  that 
had  to  be  done — why  the  divine  purpose  had  to  be  car- 
ried out  in  just  that  way,  is  one  of  those  infinite  prob- 
lems that  must  remain  to  finite  minds  a  mystery  until  the 
All-wise  shall  will  to  make  it  plain.  Alan  cannot  sit  in 
judgment  upon  his  Maker,  nor  measure  by  human  stand- 
ards divine  dispensations.  "x\ll  things  have  been  done  in 
tlie  wisdom  of  Him  who  knoweth  all  things." 

God's  Greatest  Gift. — The  Fall,  though  essential  to 
human  progress,  dug  man's  grave  and  oj^ened  the  portal  to 
Hades.  Redemption  unsealed  the  tomb  and  swung  wide  the 
gates  to  Endless  Glory.  Adam  gave  us  mortal  life.  Eternal 
life,  our  greatest  boon,  is  the  gift  of  the  Redeemer  and 
Savior. 


ARTICLE  THIRTEEN. 
The  Gospel  Dispensations. 

Only  One  Gospel. — There  is  but  one  Gospel.  There 
never  has  been,  and  there  never  will  be,  another."  It  is  the 
Everlasting  Gospel,^  the  same  yesterday,  today  and  forever. 
]n  order  to  comprehend  it,  one  must  not  limit  his  survey 
o*-'  the  subject  to  the  nineteenth  and  twentieth  centuries — • 
must  not  confine  his  calculations  to  any  one  Gospel  dispensa- 
tion. He  must  grasp  the  idea  of  a  series  of  such  dispensa- 
tions, inter-related  and  connected,  like  the  links  of  a  mighty 
chain,  extending  from  the  morning  of  Creation  down  to  the 
end  of  I'ime.  "Mormonism"  stands  for  the  Gospel's  res- 
toration in  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fulness  of  Times; 
but  that  is  not  all.  It  stands  for  the  Gospel  itself  in  all 
the  dispensations,  as  those  periods  are  termed  during  which 
God,  from  the  beginning,  has  spoken  to  man  and  revealed 
from  heaven  these  saving  principles  and  powers. 

For  All  Time  and  for  All  Men. — The  Everlasting 
Gospel  does  not  belie  its  name.  It  is  not  of  any  one  time 
nor  of  any  one  place.  Stretching  from  eternity  to  eternity, 
it  encompasses  past,  present  and  future  in  its  all-embracing 
fold.  Neither  is  it  for  the  benefit  of  any  particular  class, 
to  the  exclusion  of  other  classes.  It  is  for  all  men,  and  was 
made  simple  and  plain  that  all  might  understand  it,  that  its 
appeal  might  be  universal.  No  creed  comprehensible  only 
to  a  few,  no  religion  that  mystifies  the  many,  can  by  any 
possibility  represent  Him  who  died  that  the  whole  world 
might  live.  There  is  but  one  Savior,  and  but  one  Plan  of 

a,  Gal.  1 :6-9. 
b,  Rev.  14:6. 


THE  GOSPEL  DISPENSATIONS,  97 

Salvation ;  yet  that  Savior  has  many  servants,  saviors  in 
a  subordinate  sense/  and  His  saving  plan  encompasses 
many  truths,  apportioned  to  the  several  branches  of  the 
human  family,  in  measure  large  or  small,  according  to  their 
capacity  to  receive,  and  their  ability  to  wisely  use  the  knowl- 
edge meted  out  to  them. 

Sublimest  Things  are  always  the  simplest.  This  is 
preeminently  true  of  the  Gospel — the  simple,  sublime  Story 
of  God.  A  child  can  comprehend  it;  and  at  the  same  time 
it  is  capable  of  taxing  to  the  limit  the  powers  of  the  highest 
human  intellect.  It  is  the  profoundest  system  of  philosophy 
that  the  world  has  ever  known.  All  true  principles  of 
science  are  parts  of  it,  broken-off  fragments  of  this  grand 
Rock  of  Ages — or,  to  change  the  figure,  pools  caught  in  the 
hollows  and  clefts  of  Time,  when'  the  great  flood  of  Truth, 
during  one  or  more  of  its  earthly  visitations,  swept  by  on  its 
way  back  to  the  Eternal  Ocean.  All  that  is  precious  and 
exalting  in  religion  springs  from  this  ancient  source  of 
divine  wisdom  and  intelligence.  Who  knows  not  this,  knows 
not  the  Gospel. 

Why  Man-Made  Systems  Endure. — Every  form  of 
faith  that  has  benefited  its  believers,  must  have  possessed 
at  some  time  a  portion  of  Divine  Truth.  That  is  what  per- 
petuated it — not  the  errors  associated  therewith.  These  are 
as  cobwebs  and  dust,  the  accumulated  rubbish  of  false  tradi- 
tion, in  which  the  jewel  was  wholly  or  in  part  hidden.  Every 
creed,  Christian  or  Pagan,  that  has  proved  a  real  blessing 
to  its  votaries,  is  as  a  cistern  holding  within  it  waters  once 
wholesome  and  pure,  waters  that  fell  originally  from 
Heaven  in  one  of  those  grand  spiritual  showers  called  dis- 
pensations of  the  Gospel,  when  the  flood-gates  of  Eternity 
were  lifted,  that  the  world  might  be  refreshed. 


c,  Rev.  14:1,4;  D.  and  C.  77:11. 

7 


98  ./  MARJllI.  AXn  A  WOXDER. 

God's  Word  Apportioned. — The  Book  of  Mormon 
throws  hght  upon  tliis  theme.  A  Nephite  prophet  says: 

"Oh,  that  I  were  an  angel,  and  could  have  the  wish  of 
mine  heart,  that  I  might  go  forth  and  speak  with  the 
trump  of  God,  with  a  voice  to  shake  the  earth,  and  cry  re- 
pentance unto  every  people ;   .    .    . 

"But  behold,  I  am  a  man,  and  do  sin  in  my  wish ;  for  I 
ought  to  be  content  with  the  things  which  the  Lord  hath 
allotted  unto  me.  ... 

"I  know  that  he  granteth  unto  men  according  to  their 
desires,  whether  it  be  unto  death  or  unto  life;  yea,  I  know 
that  he  allotteth  unto  men  according  to  their  wills ;  whether 
they  be  unto  salvation  or  unto  destruction. 

"Yea,  and  I  know  that  good  and  evil  have  come  before 
all  men ;  he  that  knoweth  not  good  from  evil  is  blameless ; 
but  he  that  knoweth  good  and  evil,  to  him  it  is  given  ac- 
cording to  his  desires;  whether  he  desireth  good  or  evil, 
life  or  death,  joy  or  remorse  of  conscience. 

"Now  seeing  that  I  know  these  things,  why  should  I 
desire  more  than  to  perform  the  work  to  which  I  have  been 
called? 

"Why  should  I  desire  that  I  were  an  angel,  that  I  could 
speak  unto  all  the  ends  of  the  earth? 

"For  behold,  the  Lord  doth  grant  unto  all  nations,  of 
their  own  nation  and  tongue,  to  teach  his  word;  yea,  in 
wisdom,  all  that  he  seeth  fit  that  they  should  have."'^ 

Does  that  souml  as  if  "jMormonism"  takes  no 
ccgnizance  of  what  is  going  on  in  the  outside  world?  How 
can  any  intelligent  reader  arise  from  a  study  of  the 
"Mormon"  faith,  convinced  that  the  Latter-day  Saints  are 
not  interested  in  an\thiu^-  bcNond  the  Ix^unds  of  their  own 


d.  Alma  29:1- 


Tim  GOSPEL  DISPENSATIONS  99 

social  -and   religious   system  ?  That  one  selection   from  the 
Rook  of  Mormon  suffices  to  refute  the  false  notion. 

Of  Their  Own  Nation  and  Tongue. — All  down  the 
ages,  men  bearing  the  Priesthood,  the  authority  to  repre- 
sent God,  have  officiated  for  him  and  ministered  in  behalf 
of  mankind.  And  other  good  and  great  spirits,  not  holding 
that  authority,  but  imbued  with  a  desire  to  benefit  and  up- 
lift their  fellows,  have  been  sent  into  different  nations,  to 
give  them,  not  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel,  but  that  measure 
of  truth  and  light  that  they  had  the  power  to  appreciate 
and  put  to  worthy  use. 

Why  came  Socrates,  Confucius, 
Zoroaster  and  Gautama  ? 
Why  not  Christ  alone? 
Truth  answers : 
Graded  are  the  Master's  teachings, 
Lest  come  wasteful  overflowing. 
With  a  swifter  condemnation 
For  indifference  or  rejection. 
Milk,  not  meat,  for  infant  palates, 
Spii^it  babes,   though   mental   giants. 
Unprepared  for  strong  nutrition, 
Ministered  by  agents  mightier,^ 

The  Arab  and  the  Caliph.— But  spirit  waters,  like  the 
waters  of  earth,  will  lose  their  sweetness  and  purity,  if 
separated  too  far  or  too  long  from  their  Fountain-head. 
They  will  become  stagnant  and  unwholesome,  like  the  drink 
carried  by  the  poor  Arab  in  his  leathern  bottle,  from  the 
sparkling  spring  in  the  desert  to  the  distant  palace  of  the 
Caliph,  who  magnanimously  rewarded  the  giver,  not  for 
the  rank  draught  presented  for  his  acceptance,  but  for  the 
goodness  of  his  motive,  the  sincerity  of  his  soul. 

An  Oft-restored  Religion. — Man's  proncness  to  de- 
part from  God  and  to  mix  with  the  clear  precepts  of  divine 

c,  "Love  and  the  Light,"  pp.  74.  75 


100  J  MARJ^EL  AND  A   WONDER. 

truth  his  own  muddy  imaginings,  has  made  necessary  more 
than  one  restoration  of  the  primal  and  pure  religion.  The 
Gospel  of  Christ  did  not  make  its  first  appearance  upon 
this  planet  at  the  time  of  the  Savior's  crucifixion.  While 
it  seemed  a  new  thing  to  that!  generation,  who  were  "aston- 
ished at  his  doctrine,"  in  reality  it  was  older  than  all  the 
ages,  older  than  Earth  itself.  Originating  in  the  heavens 
before  this  world  was  framed,  it  had  been  revealed  to  man 
in  a  series  of  dispensations,  beginning  with  Adam  and  ex- 
tending dow^n  to  Christ. 

The  Book  with  Seven  Seals. — Revelation  is  silent  as 
to  the  number  of  the  Gospel  dispensations.  But  there  arc 
those — and  the  present  writer  is  among  them — who  in- 
clme  to  the  belief  that  seven  is  the  correct  figure;  a  belief 
partly  founded  upon  the  Scriptural  or  symbolical  charac- 
ter of  that  number,  and  partly  upon  Joseph  Smith's  teach- 
ings relative  to  the  seven  great  periods  corresponding  to 
the  seven  seals  of  the  mystical  book  seen  by  John  the 
Revelator  in  his  vision  on  Patmos.^ 

The  World's  Hidden  History. — According  to  the 
Prophet's  exegesis,  the  book  mentioned  in  the  Apocalypse 
''contains  th©  revealed  will,  mysteries  and  works  of  God — 
the  hidden  things  of  his  economy  concerning  this  earth  dur- 
ing the  seven  thousand  years  of  its  continuance  or  its  tem- 
poral existence."  Each  thousand  years  is  represented  by 
one  of  the  seals  upon  the  book — the  first  seal  containing 
"the  things  of  the  first  thousand  years,  and  the  second 
also  of  the  second  thousand  years,  and  so  on  until  the 
seventh. "«  The  opening  of  thesq  seals  by  the  Lamb  of  God 
signifies,  as  I  understand,  the  revealing  of  a  Heaven-kept 
record  of  God's  dealings  with  man  upon  this  planet.^' 


/.  Rev.  5.  6,  8. 
g,  D.  and  C.  77  :6,  7,  12. 
h.  Rev.  20:12. 


THE  GOSPEL  DISPENSATION.  101 

Are  They  Dispensations? — These  seven  periods- 
millenniums — may  or  may  not  be  Gospel  dispensations, 
periods  of  religious  enlightenment,  during  which  the  Plan 
cf  Salvation  and  the  powers  of  the  Priesthood  have  been 
amongf  men,  alternating  with  seasons  of  spiritual  darkness. 
But  whether  or  not  they  be  so  regarded,  it  is  interesting  to 
think  of  them  as  covering  the  same  ground,  paralleling 
those  dispensations,  or  extending  through  the  same  vast 
stretch  of  duration,  and  dealing  with  events  and  epochs, 
principles  and   personages,  connected   therewith. 

Symbolical  and  Prophetic. — Whatever  their  number, 
or  the  names  by  which  they  may  be  properly  known,  it  is 
evident  that  the  Gospel  dispensations  are  inter-related  and 
|)rogressive,  each  preparing  the  way  before  its  successor. 
Altogether,  they  represent  God's  special  dealings  with  man, 
from  the  beginning  down  to  the  end  of  the  world.  They 
are  also  symbolical  and  prophetic,  pointing  forward  to  a 
great  and  wonderful  Consummation,  the  long-heralded 
era  of  Restitution,  when  part  will  blend  with  perfect,  when 
past  dispensations  will  all  be  gathered  into  one — the  Eternal 
Present,  God's  great  Today,  wherein  is  neither  past  nor 
future.* 

;.  Alma  40:8. 


PART   FOUR 


A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES 


ARTICLE  FOURTEEN. 

The  Adamic  Age. 

"Dispensation"  Defined. — What  is  meant  by  "dis- 
pensation." The  term  has  a  variety  of  meanings.  To  dis- 
])ense  is  to  deal  out  or  distribute  in  portions,  as  when  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper  is  dispensed  to  a  rehgious 
congregation.  ''Dispensations  of  Providence"  is  a  phrase 
used  to  describe  the  Creator's  deahngs  with  his  creatures, 
either  for  joy  or  sorrow.  In  theology  "dispensation"  sig- 
nifies the  method  or  scheme  whereby  Deity  has  at  different 
times  developed  his  purposes  and  revealed  himself  to  man. 
As  I  now  use  the  term,  it  stands  for  the  opening  of  the 
heavens  and  the  sending  forth  of  the  Gospel  and  the 
Priesthood  for  purposes  of  salvation.  It  also  denotes  the 
period  of  time  during  which  the  saving  and  exalting 
principles  thus  sent  forth,  continue  operative  in  pristine 
power  and  purity. 

The  Great  Patriarch. — Adam,  the  patriarch  of  the  hu- 
man family,  is  over  all  the  Gospel  dispensations,  including 
the  Dispensation  of  the  Fulness  of  Times,  which  is  virtually 
all  dispensations  rolled  into  one.  Nevertheless,  each  has  its 
own  immediate  presiding  authority,  holding  the  keys  of  his 
particular  period — holding  them  under  Adam,  the  universal 
head.^ 

Distinctive  Features. — Each  Gospel  Dispensation  has 
certain  distinguishing  characteristics,  and  stands  for     some 


a.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol  4,  pp.  208,  209.  In  this  connection  we  are  told 
that  Adam's  son  Abel  holds  "the  keys  of  his  dispensation;"  that  is 
to  say.  of  the  First  Dispensation,  the  one  in  which  Abel  figured 
CD.  and  C.  84:16).  And  yet  it  is  called  the  Adamic  Dispensation, 
for  Adam  also  figured  therein. 


106  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

l)articular  development  of  the  Divine  Purpose.  Thus,  the 
l-'irst  Dispensation  presents  the  follow^ing  distinctive 
features : 

1.  The  institution  of  the  Lav;^  of  Sacrifice,  fore- 
shadowing the  Atonement  that  was  to  be  made  for  the  re- 
demption of  fallen  man. 

2.  The  introduction  and  earliest  promulgation  of  the 
Gospel,  for  which  the  Law  of  Sacrifice  had  prepared  the 
way. 

3.  The  initial  exercise  of  the  Patriarchal  Power,  in  be- 
half of  the  whole  human  race. 

The  Law  of  Sacrifice. — The  Law  of  Sacrifice  was  re- 
vealed from  Heaven  soon  after  our  First  Parents  were 
banished  from  Eden.  God,  from  whose  presence  they  were 
shut  out,  spoke  "from  the  way  toward  the  Garden,"  com- 
manding them  to  ''offer  the  firstlings  of  their  flocks  for 
an  offering  unto  the  Lord."  Adam  obeyed,  and  after  many 
days  an  Angel  appeared  to  him,  saying:  "Why  dost  thou 
offer  sacrifices  unto  the  Lord?"  Adam  replied:  'T  know 
not,  save  the  Lord  commanded  me."  The  Angel  then  said: 
*'This  thing  is  a  similitude  of  the  sacrifice  of  the  Only 
Begotten  of  the  Father.  Wherefore  thou  shalt  do  all  that 
thou  doest  in  the  name  of  the  Son,  and  thou  shalt  repent 
and  call  upon  God  in  the  name  of  the  Son  forevermore." 
So  runs  the  sacred  story,  as  rendered  by  Joseph  the  Seer.^ 

The  Past  Obscured. — It  is  not  to  be  supposed,  how- 
ever, that  this  was  Adam's  first  knowledge  of  the  sacrificial 
statute,  concerning  which  .he  must  have  known  before  it 
v/as  revealed  to  him  in  mortal  life.  Adam  was  no  ordinary 
man.  Fie  was  a  great  and  wonderful  character,  and  the 
world  has  not  seen  the  last  of  him.  Undoubtedly  he  was 
among   those   who    sat    in   the   eternal    councils    when   the 

/;,  Moses  5:4-8. 


THE  ADAMIC  AGE.  107 

Gospel  plan  was  instituted  and  its  mighty  Executor  chosen. 
Surely  he  knew  about  the  Lamb  of  God,  already  slain  in  the 
spirit  before  the  creation  of  the  world,  and,  in  Adam's  time, 
yet  to  be  slain  literally  in  the  world— an  event  symbolized 
by  the  very  sacrifice  that  the  first  man  was  offering  when 
the  Lord's  messenger  appeared  to  him. 

But  Adam  had  lost  the  knowledge  of  his  spirit  past.  It 
had  been  temporarily  taken  from  him  in  order  that  his 
agency  might  be  free  and  untrammeled,  his  conduct  un- 
iitfluenced  by  any  recollection  of  a  former  experience. 
Hence  the  need  of  the  Angel's  coming  to  enlighten  him, 
and  the  further  need  of  revelation  by  the  Holy  Spirit, 
bringing  things  past  to  remembrance  and  showing  things  to 
come. 

Acceptable  and  Unacceptable  Offerings.— Adam's 
worship  was  acceptable  to  God,  for  he  was  in  every  way 
obedient  to  the  divine  instruction ;  his  offering  truly  sym- 
bolizing the  heavenly  Lamb,  subsequently  foretokened  in 
the  Feast  of  the  Passover.  Abel  made  a  similar  offering— 
of  the  firstlings  of  his  flock ;  ''and  the  Lord  had  respect 
unto  Abel  and  to  his  offenng."*^ 

But  Abel's  elder  brother,  Cain,  who  also  had  been 
taught  the  Law  of  Sacrifice,  took  it  upon  himself  to  de- 
viate from  the  course  marked  out.  Instead  of  a  lamb,  he 
''brought  of  the  fruit  of  the  ground"— an  offering  in  m 
way  s>Tnbolical  of  the  Savior.  His  offering  was  rejected;'^ 
for  "the  ordinances  must  be  kept  in  the  very  way  God  has 
appointed."^ 

The  Gospel  Introduced.— 11ic  way  was  now  prepared 
for  the  introduction  of  the  great  redemptive   scheme   thac 

r.  Gen.  4:4. 

d,  Tb.  4:5:  Heb.  11:4. 

e,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4,  pp.  208,  209. 


108  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

was  to  lift  fallen  man  and  open  to  him  the  opportunities  for 
endless  increase  and  progression.  Instead  of  preaching 
"another  gospel,"  or  inventing  some  new  form  of  ordinance, 
as  the  misguided  Cain  might  have  done,  Adam  adhered  to 
the  Gospel  in  its  purity,  carrying  out  to  the  letter  the  in- 
structions God  had  given.  He,  by  his  own  voice,  com- 
manded Adam  to  beHeve,  to  repent,  and  to  be  baptized; 
and,  as  it  is  written:  "He  was  caught  away  by  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord,  and  was  carried  down  into  the  water,  and 
was  laid  under  the  water,  and  was  brought  forth  out  of  the 
water;  "after  which  the  Spirit  descended  upon  him,  "and 
he  heard^  a  voice  out  of  heaven,  sapng:  Thou  art  baptized 
with  fire  and  with/  the  Holy  Ghost."/' 

"And  thus  the  Gospel  began  to  be  preached  from  the 
beginning,  being  declared  by  holy  angels  sent  forth  from 
the  presence  of  God,  and  by  his  own  voice,  and  by  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  And  thus  all  things  were  con- 
firmed unto  Adam  by  an  holy  ordinance,  and  the  Gospel 
preached,  and  a  decree  sent  forth  that  it  should  be  in  the 
vvorld  until  the  end  thereof."^ 

Seeming  Differences  Reconciled. — Apropos  of  that 
ancient  decree,  I  was  once  asked  to  reconcile  the  statement 
concerning  it  with  the  idea  of  a  new  dispensation.  The 
question  came  to  me  in  this  form:  "If  the  Gospel  was  to 
!)€  'in  the  world'  from  Adam's  time  ''until  the  end,'  what 
was  the  need  of  restoring  it — bringing  it    back  again?" 

I  answered,  in  substance:  "The  two  propositions  do 
not  really  contradict  each  other.  The  Gospel  has  been  in 
the  world  from  Adam's  day  until  now,  by  a  series  of  dis- 
pensations, reaching  through  the  entire  range  of  human  his- 
tory. The  gaps  between,  so  wide  to  us,  count  for  little  with 

f,  Moses  6 :64-66. 

g,  lb.  5  :58,  59. 


THE  ADAMIC  AGE.  109 

P'eity,  to  whom  past,  present  and  fntnre  are  one/'  The  finite 
p.iind  is  prone  to  take  short  and  narrow  views  of  things, 
tanghng  itself  up  in  Httle  quibbling  details  that  often  give 
a  great  deal  of  trouble.  But  the  Eternal  sweeps  the  whole 
universe  with  infinite  gaze,  and  what  seem  mountains 
to  men  are  less  than  mole-hills  in  His  sight.  He  has  found 
it  necessary,  at  different  times,  to  withdraw  the  Gospel  and 
the  Priesthood  from  the  midst  of  mankind;  and  yet,  by 
repeated  restorations,  forming  a  continuous  chain  of  dis- 
pensations, he  has  kept  the  Gospel  and  the  Priesthood  in  the 
world  from  the  beginning  down  to  the  present."^ 

Seth  Succeeds  Abel. — Abel  fell  a  martyr  to  the  Truth. 
Slain  by  his  envious  brother,^'  he  was  succeeded  by  Seth, 
another  brother,  born  subsequently.  Seth  was  typical  of  the 
Son  of  God,  not  only  because  he  was  "a  perfect  man,"  but 
because  "his  likeness  was  the  express  likeness  of  his 
father's,  insomuch  that  he  seemed  to  be  like  unto  his  father 
in  all  things,  and  could  be  distinguished  from  him  only 
by  his  age."^ 

Adam-ondi-Ahman. — Says  Joseph  the  Seer :  *T  saw 
Adam  in  the  valley  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman.  He  called  to- 
gether his  children  and  blessed  them  with  a  patriarchal 
blessing."^  The  vision  was  of  course  retrospective,  hav- 
ing reference  to  the  time  when  Adam  dwelt  on  earth.  The 
same  event  is  more  fullv  set  forth  as  follows : 


h,  Alma  49 :8. 

i,  It  might  also  be  argued  that  in  the  spirit  World,  which  is  a 
part  of  the  planet  that  we  inhabit,  the  Gospel  has  been  preached 
for  ages ;  so  that  the  dead  or  the  departed  might  have  opportunity  to 
embrace  it  (I  Peter  4:6).  And  the  withdrawal  of  the  Gospel  from 
this  temporal  sphere  would  not  necessarily  involve  its  withdrawal 
from  that  spiritual  sphere.  Thus,  the  divine  edict,  that  the  Gospel 
"should  be  in  the  world  until  the  end  thereof,"  receives  additional 
vindication. 

j,  Gen.  4 :8. 

k,  D.  and  C.  107:43. 

/,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  3,  p.  388. 


110  .-/  GLANCE  JXIWN  THE  AGES. 

"Three  years  previous  to  the  death  of  Adam,  he  called 
Seth  Enos  Cainan  IMahalaleel  Jared  luioch  and 
Methuselah,  who  were  all  High  Priests,  with  the  residue  of 
his  posterity  who  were  righteous,  into  the  valley  of  Adam- 
ondi-Ahman,  and  there  hestowed  upon  them  his  last  bless- 
ing. 

"And  the  Lord  appeared  unto  them,  and  they  rose  up 
and  blessed  Adam,  and  called  him  Michael,  the  Prince, 
the  Archangel. 

"And  the  Lord  administered  comfort  unto  Adam,  and 
said  unto  him,  I  have  set  thee  to  be  at  the  head — a  multi- 
tude of  nations  shall  come  of  thee,  and  thou  art  a  prince 
over  them  forever. 

"And  Adam  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  congregation, 
and  notwithstanding  he  was  bowed  down  with  age,  being- 
full  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  predicted  whatsoever  should  be- 
fall his  posterity  unto  the  latest  generation.""' 

Ancient  of  Days. — But  Adam  is  to  come  again — is  to 
come  as  the  Ancient  of  Days,  fulfilling  the  prophecy  of 
Daniel."  And  he  will  come  to  the  very  place  where,  bowed 
with  the  weight  of  more  than  nine  centuries,"  he  blessed 
his  posterity  before  the  ending  of  his  earthly  career.  In  the 
valley  of  Adam-ondi-Ahman/'  will  sit  the  Ancient  of  Days, 
counseling  his  children — all  who  are  worthy  of  that  high 
privilege — and  preparing  them  for  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
God. 

A  Close  Relationship. — I  have  said  that  the  Gospel 
dispensations  are  inter-related.  Tt  need  only  be  added  that 
the  mighty  patriarchal  blessing — the  mightiest  ever  given — 


m,  D.  and  C.  107:53-56. 

n,  Dan.  7:9,  13,  22;  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  3,  p.  386 

Oy  Gen.  5  :5. 

p,  D.  and  C  116. 


11 IR  .III  I  MIC  AGE.  Ill 

111  vvliich  Father  Adam  forecast  the  history  of  the  human 
race,  taken  in  connection  with  his  prospective  advent  into 
the  midst  of  his  righteous  descendants,  upon  the  precise 
spot  where  he  bestowed  his  farewell  benediction  and  ut- 
tered his  wonderful  world-covering  prophecy,  indicates  a 
very  close  relationship  between  the  First  and  the  Final  dis- 
pensations of  the  Gospel. 


ARTICLE   FIFTEEN. 
Enoch  and  his  City. 

"Glorious  things  are  sung  of  Zion, 
Enoch's  city  seen  of  old, 
Where  the  righteous,  being  perfect, 
Walked  with  God  in  streets  of  gold. 
Love  and  virtue,  faith  and  wisdom, 
Grace  and  gifts  were  all  combined; 
As  himself  each  loved  his  neighbor. 
All  vv^ere  of  one  heart  and  mind." 

"The  Seventh  from  Adam." — Enoch,  ''the  seventh 
from  Adam"  in  patriarchal  succession,  was  contemporane- 
ous with  the  father  of  the  human  family.  Indeed,  he  was 
ordained  and  blessed  by  Adam,  and  was  with  him  in  the 
historic  Valley  where  the  future  of  the  race  was  foretold  by 
its  venerable  founder,'^  Enoch's  period  was  prolific  of 
wonderful  events,  but  the  two  standing  out  most  prom- 
inently are : 

First : — The  successful  practice  of  the  Law  of  Consecra- 
tion, resulting  in  the  founding  of  Zion,  City  of  Holiness, 
which  was  sanctified  through  obedience  to  that  high  and 
holy  principle,  and  translated  or  taken  into  Heaven  with- 
out tasting  of  death. ^ 

Second : — Enoch's  vision  of  the  future,  extending  past 
the  Deluge,  past  the  Crucifixion,  down  even  to  the  Last 
Days  and  the  glorious  coming  of  the  Christ. 

The  Power  of  Godliness. — Did  the  Zion-builder  of 
the  Adamic  age  stand  at  the  head  of  a  Gospel  dispensa- 
tion ?  Whether  he  did  or  did  not,  it  is  evident,  from  what  has 
been  revealed  concerning  him  and  his  ministr}%  that  the 
message   of   salvation    was   preached    by    him     in    mighty 


a,  D.  and  C.   107:48,  53-56. 

b,  Heb.  11:5. 


ENOCH  AND  HIS  CITY.  ^3 

power   and   with   marvelous   success.   The  world,     though 
young-,   had   grown   old   in   wickedness,   and   the   need    tor- 
repentance  was  urgent.'-  "So  great  was  the  faith  of  Lnoch 
and  so  powerful  the  language  that  God  had  given  hnn,    the 
earth  trembled  and  the  mountains  fled,  even  accordmg  to 
his  command;  and  the  rivers  of  water  were  turned  out  o 
their  course;  and  the  roar  of  the  lions  was  heard  out  of 
the  wilderness;  and  all  nations  feared  greatly,  so  power- 
ful was  the  word  of  Enoch."'^ 

The  Law  of  Consecration.— Among  warring  nations 
and  in  the  midst  of  sanguinary  strife,  Enoch,  inspired  and 
directed  by  the  Almighty,  introduced  and  established  a 
social  order  which  cannot  be  better  described  than  in 
the  simple,  sublime  pharasing  of  the  Book  of  Moses,  the 
sacred  volume  just  cited : 

-And  the  Lord  called  his  people  Zion,  because  they  were 
of  one  heart  and  one  mind  and  dwelt  in  righteousness;  and 
there  was  no  poor  among  them."^ 

''Zion  is  Fled."— 'Tn  process  of  time"  consecration 
brought  sanctification,  and  eventually  translation,  to  the 
City  of  Enoch,  regarding  which,  after  its  ascension,  went 
forth  the  saying:  ''Zion  is  fled."^ 

The  Tower  of  Babel.— The  people  who  built  the 
Tower  of  Babel  are  said  to  have  done  so  in  order  that  its 
top  might  ''reach  unto  heaven."  It  was  to  prevem  them 
from  accomplishing  this  purpose,  that  the  Lord  confounded 
their  language.^  Tradition  credits  Joseph  Smith  with  the 
statement  that  the  "heaven" .  they  had  in  view  was  the 
translated  city. 


r,  Moses  6:27,28. 

'';,  lb.  7  111    Compare  Acts  4:32,  34,  35 ;  4  Nephi,  1 :2,  3. 

/.  Moses  7:69. 

a.  Gen.  11:1-9. 

8 


114  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

The  Jaredites. — A  righteous  remnant  of  the  people, 
namely,  the  Jaredites,  had  been  exempted  from  the  gen- 
eral curse  of  tongue  confusion;''  and  through  them  the 
pnre  Adaniic  language  was  preserved  on  earth.*  The 
Jaredites,  divinely  led,  separated  themselves  from  the 
other  inhabitants  of  the  land,  and  migrated  to  North 
America.  Here  they  flourished  for  many  centuries,  and  then 
fell,  a  slaughtered   race,   ruined  by   internal   dissension.'?" 

Translation  and  Resurrection. — Translation,  says  the 
Prophet  Joseph,  does  not  take  men  ''immediately  into  the 
presence  of  God."  For  translated  beings  there  is  a  ter- 
restrial ''place  of  habitation,"  where  they  are  "held  in  re- 
serve to  be  ministering  angels  unto  many  planets,"  and 
"have  not  yet  entered  into  so  great  a  fulness  as  those  who 
are  resurrected  from  the  dead."  Enoch  received  from  God 


an 


appointment  to  minister  to  beings  of  this  character. 


h,  Ether  1 :33^37. 

i,  Orson  Pratt,  citing  an  unpublished  revelation,  says  :  "What  is 
the  name  of  God  in  the  pure  language?  The  answer  says:  'Ahman.' 
What  is  the  name  of  the  Son  of  God?  Answer,  'Son  Ahman,  the 
greatest  of  all  the  parts  of  God,  excepting  Ahman.'  What  is  the 
name  of  men?  "Sons  Ahman'  is  the  answer." — Journal  of  Dis- 
courses, Vol.  2,  p.  342. 

;,  Omni  1:21,22;  Mosiah  8:6-12;  28:17.     See  also  Article  Five. 

k,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4,  pp.  209,  210. 

Commenting  upon  that  passage  of  scripture.  "Others  were 
tortured,  not  accepting  dcHverance,  that  they  might  obtain  a  better 
resurrection"  (Heb.  11:35)  the  Prophet  says:  "Translation  obtains 
deliverance  from  the  tortures  and  sufferings  of  the  body;  but  their 
existence  will  prolong  as  to  the  labors  and  toils  of  the  ministry,  be- 
fore they  can  enter  into  so  great  a  rest  and  glory.  On  the  other 
hand  those  who  were  tortured  not  accepting  deliverance,  received 
an  immediate  rest  from  their  labors."  He  als'o  explains  the  dif- 
ference between  an  angel  and  a  ministering  spirit — "the  one  a  resur- 
rected or  translated  body,  with  its  spirit,  ministering  to  embodied 
spirits;  the  other  a  disembodied  spirit,  visiting  or  ministering  to 
disembodied  spirits."  .  .  .  Translated  beings,  "designed  for 
future  missions,"  "cannot  enter  into  rest  until  they  have  under- 
gone a  change  equivalent  to  death." — "The  Mediation  and  Atone- 
ment.' pp.  75.  76. 


ENOCH  AND  HIS  CITY.  115 

The  Future  Unveiled. — Enoch  walked  with  God,  and 
was  shown  "the  worhl  for  the  space  of,  many  generations."' 
He  beheld  the  iMilleniiial  Dawn,  and  the  darkest  hour  before 
the  dawn.  ''He  saw  great  tribulations  among  the  wicked, 
and  he  also  saw  the  sea,  that  it  was  troubled."'  In  a  splen- 
did outburst  of  epic  poetry,  the  inspired  oracle  tells  how 
Zion  was  taken  up  into  heaven  ;  how  Satan  'Veiled  the  whole 
face  of  the  earth  with  darkness ;"  how  he  and  his  angels 
rejoiced ;  how  ''the  God  of  heaven  looked  upon  the  residue 
of  the  people  and  wept;''  and  how  the  heavens  wept  also, 
shedding  "their  tears  as  the  rain  upon  the  mountains." 

Enoch,  addressing  the  compassionate  Creator,  inquires : 
"How  is  it  that  thou  canst  weep,  seeing'  thou  art  holy,  and 
from  all  eternity  to  all  eternity?  And  were  it  possible  that 
man  could  number  the  particles  of  the  earth,  yea  millions  of 
earths  like  this,  it  would  not  be  a  beginning  to  the  number 
of  thy  creations,and  thy  curtains  are  stretched  out  still. 
.  .  .  And  thou  hast  taken  Zion  to  thine  own  bosom  from 
all  thy  creations,  from  all  eternity  to  all  eternity ;  and  naught 
but  peace,  justice  and  truth  is  the  habitation  of  thy  throne ; 
and  mercy  shall  go  before  thy  face  and  have  no  end ;  how 
is  it  thou  canst  weep?"'' 

The  Holy  One  answers,  portraying;  the  impending 
doom,  the  destruction  of  the  wicked  by  the  Flood,  and  their 
imprisonment  in  spirit  dungeons  until  the  coming  of  the 
Christ,  bringing  deliverance  to  the  penitent.^ 

The  Mother  of  Men. — Enoch  hears  a  voice  from  the 
depths  of  the  Earth : 

"Wo,  wo  is  me,  the  mother  of  men;  I  am  pained,  I  am 


/,  Moses  7:4. 

m,  lb.  V.  66.  Compare  D.  and  C.  61  :4-6,  14-19. 

n,  Moses  7:26.  28. 

a,  lb.  vv.  29-31. 

p,  I  Peter  3:18-20;  4:6. 


116  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

weary,  because  of  the  wickedness  of  my  children.  When 
shall  I  rest  .  .  .  when  shall  my  Creator  sanctify  me, 
and  righteousness  for  a  season  abide  upon  my  face?'? 

The  Creator's  Covenant. — "And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Enoch :  As  I  live,  even  so  will  I  come  in  the  last  days, 
in  the  days  of  wickedness  and  vengeance,  to  fulfill  the  oath 
which  I  have  made  unto  you  concerning  the  children  of 
Noah.     And  the  day  shall  come  that  the  earth  shall  rest. 

"But  before  that  day  the  heavens  shall  be  darkened,  and 
a  veil  of  darkness  shall  cover  the  earth ;  and  the  heavens  shall 
shake,  and  also  the  earth  ;  and  great  tribulations  shall  be 
among  the  children  of  men.  But  my  people  will  I  pre- 
serve."'' 

Another  Zion  Promised. — "And  righteousness  will  I 
send  down  out  of  heaven,  and  truth  will  I  send  forth  out  of 
the  earth,  to  bear  testimony  of  mine  Only  Begotten;  his 
resurrection  from  the  dead;  yea,  and  also  the  resurrection 
of  all  men;  and  righteousness  and  truth  will  I  cause  to 
sweep  the  earth  as  with  a  flood,  to  gather  out  mine  elect 
from  the  four  quarters  of  the  earth,  unto  a  place  which  I 
shall  prepare,  an  Holy  City,  that  my  people  may  gird  up 
their  loins,  and  be  looking  forth  for  the  time  of  my  coming ; 
for  there  shall  be  my  tabernacle,  and  it  shall  be  called  Zion, 
a  New  Jerusalem. 

"And  the  Lord  said  unto  Enoch :  Then  shalt  thou  and 
all  thy  city  meet  them  there,  and  we  will  receive  them  into 
our  bosom,  and  they  shall  see  us;  and  we  will  fall  upon 
their  necks,  and  they  shall  fall  upon  our  necks,  and  we  will 
kiss  each  other: 

"And  there  shall  be  mine  abode,  and  it  shall  be  Zion, 
which  shall  come  forth  out  of  all  the  creations  which  I  have 


g,  Moses  7:48. 
r,   Tb.   vv.   60,   61. 


ENOCH  AND  HIS  CITY.  117' 

made;  and  for  the  space  of  a  thousand  years  the  earth  shall 
rest.""^ 

Awaiting  its  Return. — According-  to  these  teachings. 
the  City  of  Enoch  is  now  on  a  terrestrial  plane,  awaiting  its 
return  to  Earth,  when  the  season  shall  be  ripe  and  the  prepa- 
ration complete  for  its  reception.  The  change  wrought  upon 
its  inha1)itants  by  translation  not  being  equivalent  to  resur- 
rection, they  will  undergo  a  further  change  to  prepare  them 
for  celestial  glory.  The  Saints  remaining  on  earth  to  meet 
the  Lord  will  likewise  be  changed,  not  by  the  **sleep"  of 
death,  but  "in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye/'  at  the 
time  of  the  Savior's  coming.*  When  he  comes,  Enoch's 
City  will  come  with  him,  Zion  from  above  blending  with 
Zion  from  below,  as  spirit  and  body  in  the  resurrection. 

The  Ancient  Types  the  Modern. — The  Ancient  Zion 
foreshadowed  the  Zion  of  the  Last  Days,  with  which  it  is 
destined  to  blend."  In  Enoch's  day  the  Lord's  people, 
consecrating  to  Him  their  all,  became  equal  in  earthly 
as  in  heavenly  things;  and  the  righteous  unity  resulting 
from  that  blest  condition  brought  forth  the  peace  and  power 
of  sanctity.  So  shall  it  be  and  more  when  the  Lord  brings 
again  Zion. 


s,  Moses  7:62-64. 

f.  T  Cor.  15:51.  52. 

u.   D.   and   C.   84:99-102. 


ARTICLE  SIXTEEN. 

Noah  and  the  Deluge. 

Methuselah,  Son  of  Promise. — God,  having  shown  to 
Enoch  the  approaching  ntter  destruction  of  Eartli's 
wicked  inhabitants,  covenanted  with  the  founder  of  the 
Sacred  City  that  the  repeopler  of  the  devastated  globe  should 
be  of  his  lineage.  In  order  that  this  promise  might  not 
fail,  Enoch's  son,  Methuselah,  distinguished  among  men 
as  the  one  who  attained  to  the  greatest  age  in  mortality,^ 
"was  not  taken"  when  Zion  was  translated,  but  remained 
to  become  the  father  of  Lamech  and  grandfather  of  Noah/' 
Earth's  Baptism. — The  Deluge  was  Earth's  1)aptism. 
Baptism  symbolizes  birth  or  creation.  In  a  certain  sense, 
our  planet  was  "born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit"  at  the  very 
beginning.'^  In  Noah's  day,  which  was  reminiscent 
of  that  beginning,  it  experienced  a  rebirth,  "a  washing  of 
regeneration,"  typical  of  a  spiritual  and  fiery  immersion  yet 
to  come. 

Like  Unto  Adam. — It  devolved  upon  Noah  to  recom- 
mence, after  the  Flood,  the  work  begun  by  the  great  sire 
of  the  race  under  God's  original  command— the  command 
to  "multiply  and  replenish  the  earth."  Noah's  time,  there- 
fore, typified  the  period  of  the  Creation.  He,  like  Adam, 
"was  the  father  of  all  living  in  his  day,  and  to  him  was 
given  the  dominion."'^ 

The  Flood  Foretold.— Blest  and  ordained  by  Methu- 
saleh  when  but  ten  years  old,  Noah,  like  his  predecessors  in 


(7/Gcp.  5:27. 
/;,  Aloscs  8:2-9. 
r.  Gen.  1  :2.  9. 

(/,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  3,  p.  386. 


NOAH  AND  THE  DELUGE.  119 

the  patriarchal  line,  was  a  prophet  and  a  preacher  of  right- 
eousness.   The  word  of  the  Lord  came  to  him,  saying : 

"My  spirit  shall  not  always  strive  with  man  ;  .  .  .  yet 
his  days  shall  be  an  hundred  and  twenty  years ;  and  if 
men  do  not  repent,  I  will  send  in  the  floods  upon  them." 
They  hearkened  not,  and  God  then  decreed :  "The  end  of  all 
flesh  is  come  before  me,  for  the  earth  is  filled  with  violence, 
and  behold  I  will  destroy  all  flesh  from  off  the  earth. "'^ 

Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth. — Noah  had  three  sons, 
Shem,  Ham  and  Japheth — naming  them  in  the  order  usually 
given.  Japheth,  however,  was  the  eldest,  and  Ham  the 
youngest,  of  these  brothers.^  They  were  among  the  eight 
survivors  of  the  Deluge  ;^  "and  of  them  was  the  whole  earth 
overspread.'*''  Japheth  peopled  Europe,  Shem  Asia,  and 
Ham  Africa. 

Noah's  blessing  "upon  Shem  and  Japheth,  and  his  curse 
upon  Canaan,  son  of  Ham,  are  thus  recorded: 

"Cursed  be  Canaan  ;  a  servant  of  servants  shall  he  be 
unto  his  brethren. 

"Blessed  be  the  Lord  God  of  Shem;  and  Canaan  shall 
be  his  servant. 

"God  shall  enlarge  Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell  in  the 
tents  of  Shem;  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant."' 

The  Curse  upon  Canaan. — Part  of  the  curse  upon 
Canaan  was  "a  blackness,"  similar  to  that  which  had  been 
placed  upon  "the  seed  of  Cain."'  The  curse  also  deprived 
the  Canaanites  of  the  Priesthood  ;  though  ihey  were  blessed 


r.  Moses  8:17,  30;   Gen.  6:3,13. 
/,    Tb.   8:12;    Gen.    10:21. 
-.  I  Peter  3  :20. 
/;.  Gen.  9:19. 
/,  lb.  9:22-27. 
/.  lb.  4:15;   Moses  7:8,22. 


120  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

"with  the  blesslng-s  of  the  earth  and"  with  the  blessings  of 
wisdom."* 

Ham*s  sin,  which  brong-ht  the  curse  upon  Canaan — a 
sin  vagiiely  hinted  at  In  the  sacred  narrative — may  not  be 
fnlly  known:  but  even  If  It  were,  there  would  still  remain 
the  unsolved  problem  of  the  punishment  of  a  whole  race 
for  an  offense  commltteed  by  one  of  its  ancestors.  It  seems 
reasonable  to  infer  that  there  was  a  larger  cause,  that  the 
sin  In  question  was  not  the  main  Issue.  Tradition  has  hand- 
ed down  something  to  that  effect,  but  nothing  conclusive  of 
the  question  Is  to  be  found'  In  the  standard  works  of  the 
Church.  Of  one  thing  we  may  rest  assured:  Canaan  was 
not  unjustly  cursed,  nor  were  the  spirits  who  came  through 
liis  lineage  wrongly  assigned.  "Whatsoever  a  man  soweth. 
that  shall  he  also  reap."  Or,  putting  It  Inversely:  Whatso- 
ever a  man  reaps,  that  hath  he  sown.  This  rule  applies  to 
spirit  life,  as  well  as  to  life  In  the  flesh. 

Israel  and  the  Gentiles. — From  Shem  came  Abraham 
and  the  House  of  Israel :  from  Japheth,  the  Gentiles,  found- 
ers of  the  most  civilized  and  enlightened  nations  of  mod- 
ern times,  including  Great  Britain,  France,  and  the  United 
States  of  America.  How  wonderfully  God  has  ''enlarged 
Japheth,"  the  original  Gentile ! 

Israel  wields  the  powers  of  the  Priesthood,  and  admin- 
isters the  laws  and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel.  These  are  his 
prerogatives.  But  the  children  of  Japheth  also  have  their 
mission — a  mission  In  statecraft  and  commerce,  in  science 
and  art,  in  discovery.  Invention,  and  kindred  activities. 

It  was  the  Gentiles  who  discovered  and  peopled  Amer- 
ica :  who  fought  for  and  won  the  freedom  and  Independence 
of  this  chosen  land,  an  event  preparatory — .though  they 
knew  it  not — to  the  founding  of  a  government  under  which 


k,  Abr.  1  :26. 


NOAH  AND  THE  DliLUGR.  121 

l.hrist's  work  might  come  forth  and  not  he  crushed  out  hy 
the  tyranny  of  man.  The  God  of  Israel  was  with  Columbus, 
with  Washington,  with  the  Pilgrim  Fathers,  with  the  pat- 
nets  who  founded  this  republic' — Gentiles  all,  thoug-h 
probably  of  a  mixed  lineage,  having  much  of  the  blood  of 
Israel  in  their  veins.'"  He  is  with  all  good  and  great  men 
whose  hearts  are  set  to  do  right  and  to  uplift  humanity — 
is  with  them,  whether  they  recognize  it  or  not,  and  he  uses 
them  as  seemeth  him  good,  to  effect  his  beneficent  designs. 

Ham's  Descendants. — The  descendants  of  Ham  be- 
came eminent,  wealthy,  wise  and  powerful  in  Egypt,  ''the 
cradle  of  civilization  ;"  reaping  "the  blessings  of  the  earth" 
and  the  blessings  ''of  wisdom,"  richly  realizing  the  heaven- 
inspired  promises  made  to  their  forebears.  They  have  pros- 
pered also  in  other  African  countries.  But  in  Europe, 
America,  and  other  lands,  they  were  long  held  in  slavery. 
Nor  are  the  days  of  their  bondage  even  now  at  end  in 
Africa  and  some  parts  of  Asia.  The  Ethiopian  has  served 
the  Gentile  and  the  Semite,  just  as  Noah  predicted. 

Japheth  and  "The  Tents  of  Shem."— What  are  "the 
tents  of  Shem?"  In  the  Scriptures  "tent"  is  a  term  used 
liguratively  as  well  as  literally.  The  canopy  of  heaven  is 
compared  to  a  tent ;  as  is  also  the  Church  of  Christ  and 
the  city  of  Jerusalem."  The  word  may  therefore  be  ap- 
plied to  a  country  or  a  place  of  sojourn.     How  Japheth  has 


/,  I  Nephi  13:12-19. 

m,  The  word  "Gentile,"  as  used  in  "Mormon"  writings,  is  not  a 
term  of  reproach.  It  comes  from  "Gentilis,"  meaning  "of  ai  nation." 
and  is  used  in  sacred  history  to  designate  the  nations  not  of  Israel. 
The  Latter-day  Saints  themselves,  are  Gentiles  in  part;  for  while 
tliey  claim  lineal  descent  from  the  Hebrew  patriarchs,  it  is  mostlv 
through  Ephraim,  who  "mixed  himself  among  the  people"  (Hosca 
7:8) — that  is.  .-imong  the  peoples  that  have  furnished  proselytes  to 
"Alormonism."  As  a  resnh  of  that  racial  mixture,  they  also  are  of 
Tapheth's  blood. 

n,  Isa.  40:22;  54:2;  33:20. 


122  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

dwelt  "in  the  tents  of  Shem,"  is  partly  shown  by  the  his- 
tory of  Palestine,  Israel's  original  homeland,  long  dom- 
inated by  the  Saracens  and  Turks — both  Gentile  peoples 
— and  only  recently  delivered  from  the  Moslem  yoke  by 
the  military  power  of  the  British,  a  racial  blending  of  Ja- 
pheth  and  Shem.^ 

Japheth's  remarkable  blessing  has  also  been  realized  in 
America,  the  Land  of  Joseph,  which  the  Gentiles  now  pos- 
sess, and  where,  according  to  the  Book  of  Mormon,  they 
are  to  assist  in  gathering  Israel  and  in  building  the  New 
Jerusalem.  It  is  their  privilege  to  share,  if  they  will,  in  all 
the  blessings  of  the  chosen , people,  and  to  be  even  as  the 
seed  of  Abraham.^ 

The  Asiatic,  and  especially  the  Israelitish  countries, 
with  North  and  South  America — homes  of  God's  people,  an- 
cient and  modern,  now  inhabited  by  the  children  of  Japhetli 
• — these  I  think,  may  be  properly  regarded  as  among  ''the 
tents  of  Shem." 

As  it  Was,  So  it  Shall  Be.— Noah's  period  had  a 
t\vofold  significance.  Pointing  backward  as  well  as  for- 
ward, it  symbolized  both  the  Beginning  and  the  End.  The 
reminiscent  pointing  has  already  been  indicated.  The  pro- 
l^hetic  import  is  made  plain  by  the  words  of  the  Savior, 
when  weeping  over  Jerusalem  and  predicting  the  down- 
fall of  the  Jewish  commonwealth,  an  event  also  typical  of 
the  final  destruction  of  the  wicked:  ''As  the  days  of  Noe 
were,  so  shall  also  the  coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  be  ' 

In  Noah's  day  "a  veil  of  darkness"  covered  the  earth. 
A  like  condition  is  to  characterize  the  Last  Day,  thus  foretok- 


o.  The  delivery  of  the  Holy  Land  from  tlic  Turks  dates  fro.ni 
December  11,  1917.  when  General  Allenby.  at  the  head  of  a  British 
army,  entered  and  took  possession  of  the  City  of  Jerusalem.  Sub- 
sequently Herbert  Samuel,  an  English  Jew,  was  made  Governor  of 
P.-dcstine  bv  the  British  Government. 

/'.  Ahr.  2:10. 

(1    Matt.  24:37-39. 


NOAH  AND   THE  DELUGE.  123 

cried/'  The  disaster  that  overwhehiied  the  AntediUivians, 
destroying  the  wicked  with  water,  is  to  have  as  its  sequel  a 
more  fearful  calamity,  in  which  the  unrighteous  will  be 
consumed  by  fire  from  Heaven.  And  as  unexpectedly  as 
came  the  regenerating  Flood  wherein  our  planet  was  once 
immersed',  will  come  the  purifying  Flame  that  shall  cleanse 
it  from  all  iniquity  and  prepare  it  for  eternal  glory. 


Moses  7:26,  61 


ARTICLE  SEVENTEEN. 
Abraham  and  the  House  of  Israel. 

The  Lord's  Lineage. — The  House  of  Israel  was  es- 
tablished in  order  that  the  God  of  Israel,  who  became  the 
Savior  of  the  World,  might  have  a  proper  lineage  through 
which  to  come,  and  a  worthy  medium  whereby  to  promote 
His  great  and  benevolent  designs  toward  the  human  family. 

"Prince  of  God." — The  name  ''Israel"  means  "Prince 
of  G9d,"  and  is  first  used  in  the  Scriptures  as  the  surname 
of  Jacob,  from  whom  sprang  the  Hebrew  nation  or  the 
Twelve  Tribes  of  Israel.  Jacob,  returning  from  Padan- 
Aram,  whither  he  had  fled  from  the  jealous  wrath  of  his 
brother  Esau,  came  to  the  ford  Jabbok,  where  "there  wrest- 
led a  man  with  him  until  the  breaking  of  day."  We  are 
left  to  infer  that  Jacob  believed  this  "man"  to  be  God ;  for  he 
"called  the  name  of  the  place  Peniel,"  saying,  "I  have  seen 
God  face  to  face." 

"Let  me  go,"  demanded  the  heavenly  visitant.  "I  will 
not  let  thee  go,"  replied  Jacob,  "except  thou  bless  me." 

The  "Man"  then  blessed  him  and  changed  his  name 
from  Jacob  to  Israel;  "for,"  said  he,  "as  a  prince  hast  thou 
power  with  God  and  with  men.  and  hast  prevailed."" 

Jacob's  Blessing  Confirmed. — Subsequent!}-  the  name 
Israel  was  confirmed  upon  Jacob  at  Bethel,  where  the  Lord 
appeared  to  him  and  blessed  him,  promising  that  a  nation 
and  a  company  of  nations  should  be  of  him,  and  that  kings 
should  come  out  of  his  loins. ^ 

The  Father  of  the  Faithful.— But  while  this  was  the 
origin  of  the  name  Israel  as  a])i)lied  to  Jacol),  it  was  not  the 

a,  Gen.  32:22-30. 

b,  lb.  35:10,    11. 


ABRAHAM  AND  THE  HOUSE  OE  ISRAEL.     125 

origin  of  the  race  of  which  he  is  the  titular  head.  It  is  writ- 
ten that  Jacob's  wives,  Rachel  and  Leah,  "did  build  the 
House  of  Israel ;''  and  build  it  they  did,  through  their 
children  and  the  children  of  their  handmaids,  Bilhah  and 
Zilpah,  whom  they  had  given  to  their  husband  as  wives. 
Already,  however,  had  the  foundation  of  that  house  been 
laid  by  Jacob's  grandsire,  Abraham,  the  Friend  of  God,  the 
Father  of  the  Faithful.  Jehovah's  promises  to  Jacob  and 
to  his  father  Isaac  concerning  their  posterity,  were  virtual 
repetitions  of  promises  made  to  their  great  ancestor. 

"Now  the  Lord  had  said  unto  Abram,  get  thee  out  of 
thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred,  and  from  thy  father's 
house,  unto  a  land  that  I  will  show  thee;  and  I  will  make 
of  thee  a  great  nation ;  and  I  will  .  .  .  bless  them  that 
bless  thee,  and  curse  him  that  curseth  thee ;  and  in  thee  shall 
all  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed. ""^ 

Definition  of  "Hebrew." — Abram,  for  so  was  he  then, 
called,  dwelt  in  Ur  of  the  Chaldees,  a  city  of  Mesopotamia, 
which  signifies  ''between  the  rivers."  The  rivers  were  the 
Tigris  and  the  Euphrates.  Abram  had  to  cross  the  Euphra- 
tes in  order  to  reach  Canaan,  the  land  that  the  Lord  showed 
him.  Because  of  this  circumstance,  he  was  called  by  the 
Canaanites  a  ''Hebrew,"  meaning  "one  from  beyond  the 
river."  The  origin  of  the  name  is  also  traced  to  Heber  or 
Eber,  one  of  the  ancestors  of  Abram.  Mesopotamia  was  the 
fountain-head  of  idolatry  in  Western  Asia ;  and  because  the 
Lord  wished  to  raise  up  a  people  who  would  worship  him 
and  him  only,  Abraham  v^as  required  to  separate  himself 
from  his  idolatrous  surroundings.'^ 

Meeting  with  Melchizedek.— Following  his  arrival  in 
Canaan,  and  a  brief  sojourn  in  Egypt,  came  the  episode  of 
Abram's  meeting  with  Melchizedek,  King  of  Salem    and 

c,  Ruth  4:11. 

d,  Gen.  12:1-3;  Abr.  2:3-11. 

e,  Geike,  "Hours  with  the  Bible,"  Vol.  1,  Ch.  13. 


12r)  .1  GLAXCR  nOJl'X  THE  AGES. 

Priest  of  the  Most  High  God.  To  him  Abram  gave  a  tenth 
part  of  the  spoils  that  he  had  taken  in  battle  with  certain 
kings/  And  Melchizedek  blessed  Abram  and  conferred 
upon  him  the  Priesthood.^ 

The  Law  of  Tithing. — This  is  the  first  Bible  mention 
of  the  ancient  Law  of  Tithing.  "Consider,"  says  the  author 
of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  "how  great  this  man  was, 
unto  whom  even  the  Patriarch  Abraham  gave  the  tenth  of 
the  spoils. "''  So  great  indeed,  that  the  Priesthood  of  the 
Son  of  God  was  named  for  him,  and  is  now  called  the 
Priesthood  of  Melchizedek.* 

Abram  Renamed. — After  this  interview  with  the  King 
of  Salem,  the  Lord  appeared  to  Abram,  established  His  cov- 
enant with  him,  and  changed  his  name  to  Abraham,  which 
signifies,  "father  of  a  multiude."^' 

The  Offering  of  Isaac. — Then  followed  the  supreme 
trial  of  Abraham's  life — the  offering,  at  God's  command,  of 
his  son  Isaac,  an  act  foreshowing  the  sacrifice  of  the  Only 
Begotten  of  the  Father,  who  was  to  be  slain  for  the  world's 
redemption.*  But  Abraham  was  not  permitted  to  consum- 
mate the  act.^  His  integrity  having  been  shown  1)\-  his  wil- 
lingness to  do  as  he  had  been  directed,  a  further  mark  of 
favor  was  given  by  Jehovah  to  his  tried  and  faithful  Friend. 
The  original  promise,  "In  thee  shall  all  families  of  the  earth 
be  blessed,"  was  now  expanded  to:  "I  will  multiply  thv 
seed  as  the  stars  of  heaven,  and  as  the  sand  which  is  upon 
the  seashore;  and  in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth  be  blessed." 


f,  Gen.   14:18. 

g,  D.  and  C.  84:14. 
h,  Heb.  7:4. 

t.  D.  and  C.  107:1-4. 
y.  Gen.  17:3-6. 
k,   Tb.   22:1-18. 


.IHRAILIM  AXD  TUR  HOUSE  OF  ISRAEL.     127 

Why  Was  Abraham  Blessed?— What  had  Abraham 
done  to  merit  this  high  distinction?  He  must  have  dune 
something-.  God  rewards  men  according  to  their  works,  and 
not  even  an  Abraham  w^ould  have  received  from  Him  an 
honor  unmerited.  It  cannot  be  that  he  was  chosen  for  so 
mighty  a  mission  simply  for  migrating  from  his  own  to 
another  country,  nor  even  for  his  wilhngness  to  offer  up 
his  beloved  son.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  original  promise 
was  given  before  the  sacrifice  was  demanded.  Undoubtedly 
these  acts  of  obedience  were  greatly  to  Abraham's  credit, 
but  how  could  they  be  placed  to  the  credit  of  his  posterity, 
the  unborn  millions  who  were  to  inherit  the  covenant  and 
share  in  the  great  reward? 

The  Problem  Solved. — The  Patriarch  himself  helps 
us  to  a  solution  of  the  problem : 

"Now  the  Lord  had  shown  unto  me,  Abraham,  the  in- 
telligences that  were  organized  before  the  world  was ;  and 
among  all  these  there  were  many  of  the  noble  and  great 
ones. 

''And  God  saw  these  souls  that  they  were  good,  and  he 
stood  in  the  midst  of  them,  and  he  said :  These  I  will  make 
my  rulers ;  for  he  stood  among  those  that  were  spirits, 
and  he  saw  that  they  were  good ;  and  he  said  unto  me : 
Abraham,  thou  art  one  of  them;  thou  wast  chosen  before 
thou  wast  born."^ 

The  Pre-Existence. — Abraham  had  been  shown  in 
vision  the  spirits  of  the  pre-existent  human  race,  waiting  for 
an  earth  to  be  made,  that  they  might  come  upon  it  and  pass 
through  a  mortal  probation.  Here  they  were  to  obtain 
l)odies,  thus  becoming  "souls,"'"  capable  of  eternal  increase 
and  progression.  Also,  they  were  to  be  tested  as  to  their 
willingness  to  do  all  that  the  Lord  might  require  of  them. 


/,  Abr.  3:22,  23.     Read  also  verses  24-26. 
m,  Gen.  2:7;  Moses  3:7,  9;  D.  and  C.  88:15. 


128  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

First  and  Second  Estates. — Tl\ey  who  "kept  their 
first  estate,"  manifesting  fidelity  in  the  pre-mortal  Hfe  while 
"walking  by  sight,"  were  to  be  "added  upon" — that  is  to  say, 
given  bodies  of  flesh  and  blood,  with  opportunities  for  edu- 
cation and  development.  They  who  kept  "their  second  es- 
tate," continuing  loyal  during  their  life  on  earth,  where  men 
are  required  to  "walk  by  faith,"  with  knowledge  of  the  past 
temporarily  obscured,  would  be  glorified  eternally."  All 
were  ''good,"  but  some  better  than  others ;  and  all  were  to 
be  "added  upon,"  yet  not  all  alike.  Some  were  more  deserv- 
ing, some  nobler  and  greater  than  others ;  'and  because  of 
their  superior  merit  and  larger  capacity,  they  were  to  be 
made  "rulers"  over  the  rest.    Abraham  was  one  of  these. 

Sowing  and  Reaping. — Here  is  exemplified  the  great 
principle  enunciated  by  St.  Paul:  "Whatsoever  a  man  sow- 
eth,  that  shall  he  also  reap."^  Rewards'  and  punishments  are 
not  all  deferred  until  the  final  judgment  at  the  end  of  the 
world.  There  is  a  judgment  passed  upon  the  spirits  of  men 
before  they  tabernacle  in  mortality.  Satan  and  his  dupes, 
Lniling  to  keep  their  first  estate,  were  denied  bodies,^  while 
all  the  rest,  rewarded  for  keeping  their  first  estate,  were 
given  bodies,  with  the  promise  of  a  glorious  resurrection 
after  death.  Thus,  in  a  general  way,  punishment  and  re- 
ward were  both  meted  out  before  this  life  began. 

A  question  put  to  the  Savior  by  his  disciples :  "Master, 
who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he  was  born 
blind  P"*^ — throws  out  a  hint  in  the  same  direction.  This  is 
not  to  say,  however,  that  all  who  suffer  in  the  flesh  have 
merited  their  sad  fate.     There  are  exceptions  to  the  rule. 


n,  Manifestly,  the  second  estate  is  a  greater  test  of  integrity  than 
the  first,  and  ought  to  result,  as  it  does  to  those  who  overcome,  in 
a  far  more  glorious  reward. 

0,  Gal.  6:7.      . 

p,  See  Article  Twelve. 

g,  John  9:2. 


ABRAHAM  AND  THE  HOUSE  OE  ISRAEL.     129 

The  Savior's  case  is  one  of  them  ;  and  righteous  Job's  an- 
other. Speaking  generally,  however,  man's  conchict  in  one 
Hfe  conditions  him  in  the  life  that  follows. 

Original  Excellence. — What  had  given  t )  Abraham 
his  superior  standing  in  the  Heavens  ?  Had  he  always  been 
noble  and  great?  Was  it  an  original  or  an  acquired  excel- 
lence, or  both?  That  there  is  such  a  thing  as  original  supe- 
riority, with  varying  degrees  of  intelligence  among  spirits,  is 
plainly  taught  in  the  Book  of  Abraham ;''  and  that  all  intelli- 
gence is  capable  of  improvement,  needs  no  assertion. 

"I  Knov^7  Abraham.'' — Wlien  God  said  of  Abraham  : 
'1  know  him/ ■''  it  is  hardly  probable  that  He  was  referring 
merely  to  a  knowledge  of  him  in  the  present  life.  The  found- 
er of  the  Hebrew  nation  must  have  been  one  of  the  fore- 
known and  predestined,  mentioned  by  PauK  and  by  Alma" 
— must  have  been  among  those  "called  and  prepared  from 
the  foundation  of  the  world,  on  account  of  their  exceeding 
faith  and  good  works."    It  was  ''according  to  the  foreknowl- 
edge of   God ;"  but  that  foreknowledge,  that   divine  pre- 
science, was  based  upon  experience,  and  had  history  as  well 
as  prophecy  for  a  foundation.     Such  characters  as  Abra- 
ham were  cast  for  their  parts  in  life's  -drama  long  before 
the  curtain  rose  on  the  first  act  of  the  play. 

A  Spirit  Israel. — There  was  a  House  .of  Israel  in 
heaven  before  there  was  a  Hebrew  Nation  on  earth.  Else 
what  does  Moses  mean  when  he  tells  how  the  Most  High, 
in  "the  days  of  old,"  in  "the  years  of  many  generations," 
"separated  the  sons  of  Adam"  and  "set  the  bounds  of  the 
people  according  to  the  number  of  the  children  of  Israel?"^' 


r,  Abr.  3:18,  19. 
s.  Gen.  18:19. 
/,  Rom.  8:29. 
u,  Alma  13  :3. 
V,  Deut.  32  :7,  8. 


130  A  GLAi\CE  DOIVN  THE  AGES. 

lie  must  have  liad  in  mind,  not  a  temporal  Israel,  unborn 
at  the  early  period  indicated,  but  a  spirit  Israel,  according 
to  whose  numbers,  known  in  heaven  before  they  had  taken 
bodies  on  earth,  the  boundaries  of  "the  people"  were  de- 
termined. 

Privileges  and  Requirements. — It  was  intended  that 
this  chosen  nation  should  have  "room  to  dwell."  It  was  of 
the  utmost  consequence  that  a  people  upon  whom  rested  so 
weighty  a  responsibility  should  be  well  placed,  with  every 
facility  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  sacred  mission  unto 
which  they  had  been  called.  They  were  the  oracles  of  God, 
the  custodians  and  dispensers  of  heavenly  wisdom.  Upon 
them  devolved  the  high  duty  of  keeping  alive  on  earthly  al- 
tars the  fires  of  Divine  Truth.  They  were  not  to  bow  down  to 
idols,  as  did  the  heathen  nations  around  them,  but  worship 
the  true  God,  the  invisible  Jehovah,  walking  by  faith  where 
others,  less  worthy,  walked  by  sight,  demanding  to  see  be 
fore  they  would  believe.  They  were  forbidden  to  inter- 
marry with  other  nations,  lest  they  might  worship  the  gods 
of  those  nations,  practice  their  vices,  and  corrupt  the  noble 
lineage  through  which  was  to  come  the  Savior  of  the 
World.  The  Lamb  of  God  had  to  be  "without  blemish," 
and  that  he  was  so,  physically  and  in  every  way,  was  partly 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  choice  ancestry  and  parentage  pro- 
vided for  him. 

Gem  and  Setting. — Jesus  of  Nazareth,  a  descendant 
in.  the  flesh  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  fulfilled  the  di- 
vine promise  made  to  those  patriarchs,  that  in  their  Seed 
should  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  But  in  con- 
templating the  central  fact  of  the  Savior's  personal  minis- 
try, we  must  not  overlook  the  related  facts  that  went  before 
or  followed  after.  The  gem  has  its  setting.  Christ  re- 
deemed mankind,  ''treading  the  wine  press  alone;"  Init  the 


ABRAHAM  AND  THE  HOUSE  OE  LSRAEE.     131 

House  of  Israel  prepared  the  way  for  his  coming,  and  car- 
ried on  the  work  that  he  began.  This  is  especially  true  of 
the  prophets  who  foretold  his  advent,  and  of  the  apostles 
who  preached  the  Gospel  to  Jew  and  Gentile.  There  is  only 
one  Savior,  but  He  has  "many  brethren,"  and  they  are  pre- 
eminently "the  salt  of  the  earth,"  the  preserving  or  sav- 
ing element  among  men. 

Princes  and  Servants. — If  the  name  Israel  means 
"prince  of  God"  when  applied  to  Jacob,  may  it  not  mean 
"princes  of  God"  when  applied  to  his  posterity?  He  was 
promised  that  kings  should  come  out  of  his  loins.  And 
have  they  not  come? — princes  and  priests  and  kings,  the 
nobility  of  Heaven,  though  not  always  known  and  appre- 
ciated on  earth.  The  Greatest  among  them  was  not  rec- 
ognized even  by  "His  own."  The  wise  Solomon  was  never 
wiser  than  when  he  said:  "I  have  seen  servants  upon 
horses,  and  princes  walking  as  servants  upon  the  earth.""' 
The  mighty  Prince  of  Peace,  the  glorious  King  of  Heaven, 
walked  unknown  and  unhonored  by  his  own  servants  in  the 
dust  of  his  own  footstool. 


IV,  Eccl.  10:7. 


ARTICLE  EIGHTEEN 
Moses  and  Aaron. 

Joseph  in  Egypt. — In  the  whole  range  of  Bible  litera- 
ture, if  we  except  what  is  told  of  the  Redeemer  and  Savior, 
there  is  nothing  more  beautiful  than  the  story  of  Joseph  in 
Egypt.  Joseph  the  dreamer,  sold  into  slavery,  exalted  to 
a  throne,  and  becoming,  by  God's  design,  a  savior  to  his 
father's  house.  Who  cannot  see  in  this  a  prophetic  like- 
ness of  the  universal  redemption  wrought  out  by  Him  who 
descended  below  all,  that  He  might  rise  above  all,  and  de- 
liver the  souls  of  men  from  spiritual  famine  and  starva- 
tion ? 

The  Exodus. — Another  foretokening  of  the  same  sub- 
lime event  was  Israel's  exodus  from  Egypt,  after  centuries 
of  oppression.  Egypt,  with  its  dusky  population,  devoid  of 
priesthood  and  of  gospel  light,  symbolized  the  sable  bond- 
age of  sin  and  death.  Moses,  leader  of  the  Exodus,  and 
reputedly  "the  meekest  of  men,"^  was  a  type  of  the  Great 
Deliverer,  "like  unto  ]\Ioses,"  who  led  an  enslaved  universe 
out  from  the  Egypt  of  Darkness  into  the  Promised  Land 
of  hTeedom  and  Light. 

The  Passover. — In  commemoration  of  the  Egyptian 
exodus,  the  Least  of  the  Passover  was  instituted,  an  ob- 
servance designed  to  perpetuate,  in  the  minds  of  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel,  their  liberation  from  slavery,  and  at  the  same 
time  prepare  them  to  comprehend  in  due  time,  the  mightier 
Redemption  thus  foreshadowed. 

The  Passover  was  kept  as  follows :  Obedient  to  God's 
command  through  ]\Toses,  each  Israelitish  household,  on  the 


a,  Xumbcrs   12:3. 


MOSES  AND  AARON.  133 

eve  of  the  departure  out  of  Egypt,  took  a  lamb,  spotless  and 
'without  blemish,"  and  slew  it,  sprinking  its  blood  upon 
the  posts  and  lintels  of  their  doors.  It  was  promised  that 
the  Angel  of  Death,  sent  to  afflict  the  cruel  nation  for  its 
mistreatment  of  the  Lord's  people,  should,  while  slaying 
the  first-born  of  every  Egyptian  family,  pass  over  every 
Hebrew  dwelling  upon  which  the  symboTic  blood  was  found 
sprinkled  in  accordance  with  the  divine  command.  Not 
a  bone  of  the  lamb  was  to  be  broken,  nor  a  fragment  of 
it  left  to  decay;  for  it  symbolized  the  Lamb  of  God,  the 
Holy  One,  wdiose  body  was  not  to  see  corruption.^^  Neither 
was  any  bone  of  Him  to  be  broken. 

In  the  Paschal  Feast  the  body  of  the  lamb  was  spitted 
(transfixt)  upon  two  pieces  of  wood  placed  cross-wise,  in- 
dicating prop'hetically  the  manner  of  the  Savior's  death. 
The  flesh  was  then  roasted  and  partaken  of  with  bitter 
herbs  and  unleavened  bread — flour  and  water  hastily  mixed  ; 
the  herbs  typifying  the  bitterness  of  the  bondage  that  wa55 
about  to  end,  also  the  bitterness  of  death ;  and  the  hastily 
prepared  meal  the  hurry  of  departure.^  To  further  emphn 
size  the  idea  of  haste,  the  members  of  each  Hebrew  house- 
hold, while  partaking  of  the  feast,  were  to  be  clad  as  if 
for  a  journey.  This  solemn  ceremonial  was  observed  in 
Israel  until  the  coming  of  Christ,  who  fulfilled  in  his  own 
person  and  experience  the  poetic-prophetic  symbolism. 

The     Ten    Commandments. — Sacred   Patterns. — The 

children  of  Israel,  after  their  miraculous  passage  of  the  Red 
Sea,   encamped  at  the   foot  of   Mount    Sinai.    There  God 


b,  Psalms  16:10. 

c,  The  observance  thus  described  suggests  Latter-day  conditions, 
when,  like  the  plagues  sent  upon  Eg3^pt,  terrible  judgments  are  to  be 
poured  out  upon  the  wicked,  so  suddenly  and  so  overwhelmingly  that 
even  "the  righteous  will  scarcely  escape,"  and  when  the  Lord,  in 
order  to  save  some,  will  "cut  short  his  work  in  righteousness." 


134  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

gave  to  Moses  the  tables  of  stone  containing  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments, also  the  pattern  of  the  Ark  or  Sanctuary,  the 
symbol  of  the  covenant  that  Jehovah  had  made  with  his  peo- 
people.  He  likewise  gave  the  pattern  of  the  Tabernacle  or 
holy  tent  where  the  Ark  was  to  be  deposited,  where  the 
priest  would  offer  sacrifices  and  make  atonement  for  the 
sins  of  the  nation,  and  where  the  Lord  would  communicate 
by  angels  or  by  Urim  and  Thummim  with  the  men  chosen 
to  represent  Him  in  that  sacred  capacity. 

The  Priesthood  Organized. — Moses  was  of  the  Tribe 
of  Levi,  and  son-in-law  to  Jethro  the  Midianite.  The  Mid- 
ianites  were  descended  from  Midian,  the  fourth  son  of 
Abraham  by  his  wife  Keturah.^  It  was  from  Jethro  that 
Moses  received  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood/  Thus  qual- 
ified, the  Israelite  leader  organized,  by  divine  direction,  the 
Lesser  Priesthood,  with  his  brother  Aaron  at  its  head/ 
Aaron's  sons,  Nadab,  Abihu,  Eleazer  and  Ithamar,  were 
associated  wnth  him  in  the  priest's  office/ 

Idolatry  and  Expiation. — Just  prior  to  their  setting 
apart  as  priests,  and  while  Tyloses,  with  faithful  Joshua, 
w^as  up  in  the  Mount,  receiving  the  Law  and  the  Testi- 
mony, Israel  lapsed  temporarily  into  idolatry.  In  the  gold- 
en calf,  which  they  persuaded  Aaron  to  make  for  them, 
they  worshiped  the  Egyptian  god  Apis,  or,  as  Dr.  Geikie 
suggests,  the  ox-headed  god  of  the  Asiatics.  This  sin  de- 
manded and  received  prompt  punishment.  By  command  of 
INIoses,  the  tribe  of  Levi — every  man  of  which  responded 


d,  Gen.  2S:1,  2;   1   Chr.   1:32. 

c,  D.  and  C.  84:6. 

/.Ex.  28:1-3. 

.£:,  Aaron.  Nadab  and  Abihii  were  probably  Eklers  acting  as 
Priests.  Sucb  an  inference  is  warranted  by  the  fact  that  the^^  with 
Moses  and  seventy  of  the  Elders  of  Israel,  "saw  the  God  of  Israel" 
CEx.  24:9,  10);  which  they  could  not  have  done  with  safety  had 
they  hekl  only  the  Aaronic  Priesthood  (D.  and  C.  84:22). 


MOSFS  AND  AARON.  135 

to  his  loval  appeal  "Who's  on  the  Lord's  side?"— slew 
with  the  sword  three  thousand  males  amon^  the  idolaters. 
The  stern  expiation  complete,  the  work  of  organization 
proceeded. 

The  Levites.— As  an  act  coordinate  with  the  destruc- 
tion of  E-vpt's  first-born,  the  Lord  had  chosen  the  first- 
lK)rn  males"  of  all  the  families  of  Israel,  and  had  set  them 
apart   for  a   special  purpose.     He  now  took  the  tribe   of 
Levi,  instead,  and  made  of  them  the  sacerdotal  class  of  the 
nation;  a  reward,  no  doubt,  for  the  zeal  they  had  displayed 
in  wiping  out  the  stain  of  idolatry  from  Israel.     The  laws 
of  Moses  were  then  promulged  and  codified,  and  the  sub- 
lime system  of  heaven-revealed  religion  was  set  in  motion. 
A   Nation  on  the  March.— All  being    ready   for  the 
o-reat  march  Zionward,  the  Camp  of  Israel  struck  its  tents, 
and,  guided  by  the  Cloud  and  Pillar  of  Fire,  moved  ma- 
jestically through  the  Sinaitic  desert  toward  the  Wilderness 
of   Paran.     The   descendants   of  Jacob   numbered   at   that 
time  nearly  three  million  souls,  including  an  army  of  half 
a  million.'   They  were   divided  into   four  camps   of  three 
tribes  each,  exclusive  of  the  Levites;  Joseph  being  twice 
numbered  in  Ephraim  and  Manasseh,  thus  making  up  for 
the  absence  of  the  sacred  class  from  the  tribal  count. 

Foremost  rose  alfot  the  Hon  standard  of  Judah,  ^the 
future  kingly  power,  out  of  which  was  to  come  the  Savior- 
King  of  Israel.  Then  followed  the  tribes  and  armies  of 
Issachar  and  Zebulon,  and  after  them  the  sons  of  Gershon 
and  Merari  (first  and  third  sons  of  Levi),  bearing  the 
components  of  the  Tabernacle,  which  it  was  their  duty  to 
set  up  and  take  down,  as  the  Camp  rested  or  resumed  its 
jcurnev.  The  standard  of  Reuben  was  next  advanced,  and 
humediatelv  in  his  rear  marched  Simeon  and  Gad.  The  Ark 


136  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

then  appeared,  borne  in  the  very  center  of  the  moving  host 
on  the  shoulders  of  the  sons  of  Kohath.  Ephraim  and 
Alanasseh  followed;  then  Benjamin:  the  tribes  of 
Dan,  Ashur  and  Naphtali  bringing  up  the  rear. 

The  Camp  at  Rest. — A\'hen  the  Cloud  rested,  indi- 
cating their  stopping  place,  the  tents  were  set  surrounding 
the  Tabernacle  of  the  Congregation ;  the  Levites  encom- 
passing it  immediately  about,  to  prevent  the  unsanctified 
from  approaching  too  near,  and  purposely  or  inadvertently 
defiling  it — an  offense  punishable  by  death.  When  the 
Ark  set  forward,  Moses  exclaimed:  ''Rise  up,  O  Lord,  and- 
let  thine  enemies  be  scattered !"  When  it  rested,  he  said : 
"Return,  O  Lord,  unto  the  many  thousands  of  Israel!" 

A  Period  of  Preparation. — The  Chosen  People  no 
•doubt  cherished  the  hope  of  an  early  conquest  of  Canaan, 
the  land  which  God  had  given  to  their  forefathers  ;  a  land 
inhabited  at  the  time  of  the  Exodus  by  various  tribes  alien 
to  Jehovah  and  unfriendly  to  Israel.  It  was  a  case  of  hope 
deferred.  Had  the  Lord's  people  been  ready,  the  carrying 
out  of  the  program  of  conquest  and  occupation  would  not 
have  been  delayed.  But  they  were  not  ready,  and  the  event 
was  therefore  postponed.  There  had  to  be  a  season  of 
waiting,  a  period  of  preparation.  Forty  years  were  to 
elapse  before  that  migrant  host,  disciplined  by  insjired 
leaders  under  strict  and  wholesome  laws,  would  be  in  a 
state  of  ])reparedness  to  thrust  in  the  sickle  and  reap  the 
glorious  harvest  springing  from  the  divine  promises  of  the 
past. 

The  Greater  Priesthood  Taken. — So  long  as  Moses 
lived,  both  the  ]\Telchizedck  and  the  Aaronic  priesthoods 
were  present  and  operative  in  Israel.  But  with  the  pass- 
ing of  the  great  leader,  went  likewise  the  authority  of  the 
higher  priesthood,  without  which  ''the  power  of  godliness 


MOSES  AND  AARON.  137 

is  not  manifest  to  men  in  the  flesh."  Nay,  without  it  "no 
man  can  see  the  face  of  God,  even  the  Father,  and  Hve."'* 
JNIoses  had  taught  this  to  his  people,  seeking  diligently  to 
sanctify  them  that  they  might  behold  God  face  to  face. 
"But  they  hardened  their  hearts,  and  could  not  endure  His 
presence.  Therefore  He  took  Moses  out  of  their  midst,  and 
the  Holy  Priesthood  also."* 

John  the  Baptist. — The  Lesser  Pjiesthood,  with  the 
law  of  carnal  commandments,  continued  "with  the  house 
of  Aaron  among  the  children  of  Israel"  until  John  the 
Baptist,  in  the  Meridian  of  Time,  came  to  "make  straight 
the  way  of  the  Lord."-'  This  same  John  the  Baptist,  as 
an  angel  of  God,  came  also  in  the  Fulness  of  Times,  re- 
storing the  Aaronic  Priesthood,  as  a  forerunner  to  the 
Priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  that  there  might  be  a  prepara- 
tion for  the  second  appearing  of  the  Savior.^ 

An  Acceptable  Offering. — Moses  represents  the  Mel- 
chizedek Priesthood ;  Aaron  the  Aaronic ;  and  "whoso  is 
faithful  unto  the  obtaining-  of  these  two  priesthoods  .  .  . 
and  the  magnifying  of  their  calling,  are  sanctified  by  the 
Spirit  unto  the  renewing  of  their  bodies.  They  .become  the 
sons  of  Moses  and  of  Aaron,  and  the  seed  of  Abraham,  and 
the  church  and  kingdom  and  the  elect  of  God."^  Moses  and 
Aaron  were  sons  of  Levi,  and  their  sons  are  to  offer 
"an  acceptable  offering  and  sacrifice  in  the  House  of  the 
Lord,"  which  shall  be  built  "upon  the  consecrated  spot" 
"in  this  generation."     Such  is  the  divine  promise. 


h.  D.  and  C.  84:19-22. 
/.  lb.,  vv.  23-25. 
/,  lb.  84  :26-28. 
k,  lb.  13. 
/,  lb.  84:31-34. 


ARTICLE  NINETEEN 

To  the  Ends  of  the  Earth. 

Calamity's  Compensations. — The  compensations  of 
calamity  are  apparent  in  some  of  the  mightiest  events  that 
history  chronicles.  The  Fall  of  Man,  though  it  brought 
death  into  the  world,  proved  the  means  of  peopling  a  planet 
in  accordance  with  the  Creator's  design.  The  Crucifixion 
of  Christ,  an  overwhelming  calamity  to  His  terror-stricken 
disciples,  who  were  disconsolate  until  they  looked  upon  the 
tragedy  in  its  true  light,  made  effectual  the  predestined 
plan  for  man's  salvation.  The  Disperson  of  Israel,  that 
heavy  stroke  and  burden  of  affliction  under  which  God's 
people  have  groaned  for  ages,  has  been  overnded  to  sub- 
serve the  divine  purpose,  fulfilling  in  part  the  ancient  prom- 
ise to  the  Hebrew  Patriarchs,  that  in  their  seed  should  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed. 

A  Martyred  Nation. — The  history  of  the  house  of 
Israel  is  the  history  of  a  martyred  nation,  suffering  for  the 
welfare  of  other  nations — whatever  may  be  said  of  the 
immediate  cause  of  their  w^oes,  the  transgressions  thai  justi 
fied  the  Shepherd  in  bringing  upon  his  sheep  trouldcs 
that  were  doubtless  among  the  ''offenses"  that  "must  needs 
come."  Adam  fell  that  man  might  be;  Christ  died  to  burst 
the  bands  of  death ;  and  the  chosen  people  were  scattered 
over  the  world,  in  order  that  Gos])el  truth,  following  the 
red  track  of  their  martyrdom,  might  make  its  way  more 
readily  among  the  peoples  with  whom  they  were  mingled. 

Moses  Predicts  the  Dispersion. — Prophecies  of  Is- 
rael's dispersion  were  made  as  early  as  the  time  of  Moses, 
fifteen   hundred    vears   before    the    advent    of    the    Savior. 


TO   THE  ENDS  OE  THE  EARTH.  139 

When  the  Twelve  Tribes  were  about  to  possess  themselves 
of  the  Promised  Land,  their  gr^at  leader,  who  was  soon  to 
depart,  told  them  that  so  long  as  they  served  Jehovah  and 
honored  his  statutes,  they  should  be  prospered  and  remain 
an  independent  nation.  But  if  they  forsook  Jehovah  and 
served  other  gods,  He  would  scatter  them  among  all  peo- 
ple, from  one  end  of  the  earth  even  unto  the  other.^ 

A  House  Divided. — Joshua,  succeeding  Moses,  con- 
quered the  land  of  Canaan  and  apportioned  it  among  the 
Tribes  of  Israel.  A  season  of  prosperity  and  power  was 
followed  by  decadence  and  ruin.  As  early  as  the  days  of 
the  Judges  the  people  began  to  depart  from  God  and  to  in- 
vite by  rebellious  conduct  the  national  calamity  that  had 
been  predicted.  The  glory  of  the  reigns  of  David  and  Solo- 
mon being  past,  the  curse,  long  suspended,  fell,  and  the 
Israelitish  Empire  hastened  to  decay.  The  tribes  in  the 
northern  part  of  the  land  revolted  and  set  up  the  Kingdom 
of  Israel,  distinct  from  the  Kingdom  of  Judah,  over  which 
Solomon's  son  Rehoboam  continued  to  reign.  The  tribe  of 
Benjamin  and  the  half  tribe  of  Manasseh  adhered  to  Judah. 

Ahijah,  Amos  and  Hosea. — Jeroboam,  King  of  Israel, 
made  idolatry  the  state  religion.  During  his  reign  the  dis- 
persion was  again  predicted,  Ahijah  the  prophet  thus  voic- 
ing the  word  of  the  Lord  to  his  disobedient  people:  "The 
Lord  shall  smite  Israel,  as  a  reed  is  shaken  in  the  water, 
and  he  shall  root  up  Israel  out  of  this  good  land,  which  he 
gave  to  their  fathers,  and  shall  scatter  them  beyond  the 
river."^  Another  prophet  who  foretold  the  same  disaster 
was  Hosea  f  still  another,  Amos,  who  declared  that  Israel 
should  "surely  go  into  captivity"  and  be  "sifted  among  all 


a.  Dent.  28:64. 
/'.  T  Kings  14:15. 
c,    Hos.  7 :8. 


140  A  GLAXCE  DOWN  THE  AGES, 

nations."'^  Hosea's  prophecy  substitutes  past  for  future, 
thus :  "Ephraim,  he  hath  mixed  himself  among  the  people," 
referring  to  the  event  in  prospect  as  if  it  had  already 
taken  place.  Possibly  a  prophetic  vision — then  past — had 
apprised  this  seer  of  what  wa.^  coming,  or  it  may  have  been 
only  a  figure  of  rhetoric,  common  even  at  the  present  day. 

*'The  Wolf  on  the  Fold."— About  the  year  725  B.  C. 
these  prophecies  began  to  have  their  fulfillment.  The 
Assyrians  came  against  the  Kingdom  of  Israel  and  com- 
menced the  work  of  its  destruction.  In  a  series  of  depor- 
tations they  carried  away  the  Ten  Tribes — nine  and  a  half, 
to  be  exact — and,  as  customary  with  conquerors  in  those 
days,  supplied  their  places  with  colonists  from  other  parts. 

The  Lost  Tribes. — Concerning  the  deported — the  fa- 
mous "Lost  Tribes" — very  little  is  now  known.  Josephus, 
the  Jewish  historian,  who  wrote  during  the  first  century 
after  Christ,  states  that  they  were  then  beyond  the  Eu- 
phrates; and  Esdras,  in  the  Apocrypha,  declares  that  they 
went  a  journey  of  a  year  and  a  half  into  ''the  north  country." 

Scandinavian  Cairns. — Missionaries  returning  from 
Scandinavia  tell  of  rude  monuments — cairns  or  piles  of 
stones — yet  to  be  seen  in  that  northern  region,  and  con- 
cerning which  tradition  asserts  that  they  were  erected 
many  centuries  ago  by  a  migrating  people.  Whether  or 
not  these  were  the  tribes  of  the  Assyrian  captivity,  it  is 
interesting  to  reflect  that  the  ^rearing  of  such  monuments, 
in  commemoration  of  notable  events,  was  an  Israelitish 
custom,  particularly  as  to  the  migratory  movements  of  the 
nation.  The  miraculous  passage  of  the  Jordan  by  Joshua 
and  the  host  led  In*  him  into  the  land  of  Canaan,  was  thus 
commemorated.^ 


d,  Amos  7:11;  9:9. 

e,  Joshua  4:1-9. 


TO   THE  EXDS  OF  THE  EARTH.  141 

Other  Ancient  Remains. — If  it  be  objected  that  monu- 
ments built  seven  centuries  before  Christ's  birth  could  not 
have  lasted  down  to  this  day,  it  will  be  in  order  for  the 
objector  to  explain  the  existence  of  the  perfectly  preserved 
monuments  of  Assyria,  Babylon,  Egypt,  and  other  ancient 
empires,  wdiose  remains  have  been  uncovered  by  modern 
achaeological  enterprise.  Such  a  theory  need  not  stagger 
the  faith  of  a  Latter-day  Saint,  when  he  recalls  that  the 
ruins  of  Adam's  altar  are  still  to  be  seen  in  that  part  of 
the  Old-Xew  \\'orld  now  known  as  the  State  of  ]\Iis- 
souri,  where  they  were  identified  by  Joseph  the  Seer  in 
1838. 

From  the  North  Country. — At  all  events,  it  is  from 
*'the  north  country"  that  the  lost  tribes  are  to  return, 
according  to  ancient  and  modern  prophecy.^  It  is  also  a 
fact  that  from  Scandinavia  and  other  nations  of  North- 
ern Europe,  has  come  much  of  the  blood  of  Ephraim,  now 
to  be  found  within  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Lat- 
ter-day  Saints. 

Isaiah  and  Jeremiah — The  Babylonian  Captivity — 
Returning  to  the  Kingdom  of  Israel.  The  prophecies  con- 
cerning it  w^ere  supplemented  by  other  predictions  fore- 
telling the  fate  of  the  Kingdom  of  Judah.  Those  great 
prophets,  Isaiah  and  Jeremiah,  figured  during  this  period, 
and  both  portrayed  in  fervid  eloquence,  unparalleled  for 
pathos  and  sublimity,  the  impending  doom  of  the  Jewish 
nation.  Their  government  was  destroyed,  and  they  wxre 
carried  into  'captivity  by  the  Babylonians  under  Nebu- 
chadnezzar, B.  C.  588. 

Lehi  and  His  Colony. — Just  prior  to  that  catastrophe, 
and  while  the  Prophet  Jeremiah  w^as  delivering  his  fateful 


f,  Jer.  31:8:  D.  and  C.   110:11;   133:26. 


142  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

message  lu  king,  princes,  priests  and  people,  Lehi  and  his 
companions,  ancestors  of  the  Nephites  and  Lamanites,^ 
warned  of  God,  left  Jerusalem  and  crossed  over  to  this 
land — America — which,  by  them  and  by  Mulek's  company 
that  came  later,  was  thus  peopled  with  descendants  of 
Joseph  and  of  Judah,  both  represented,  though  in  a  de- 
generate state,  by  the  savage  red  men  whom  Columbus,  in 
A.  D.   1492,  discovered  and  named  Indians/' 

Jerusalem  Rebuilt — Ezekiel  and  Zechariah. — The 
Babylonian  captivity  lasted  for  seventy  years.  At  the  ex- 
piration of  that  period,  some  of  the  Jews,  under  the  per- 
missive .edict  of  Cyrus  the  Great,  who  had  conquered 
Babylon,  returned  and  rebuilt  their  City  and  Temple. 
These,  however,  were  only  a  remnant,  numbering  fifty 
thousand,  led  by  Zerubbabel  and  Joshua.  The  bulk  of  the 
nation  remained  in  a  scattered  condition.  The  Jews  who 
rebuilt  Jerusalem  were  those  to  whose  descendants  the 
Christ  came,  and  predicted,  after  their  rejection  of  him, 
that  their  "House"  should  be  ''left  unto  them  desolate."'' 
Meanwhile  Ezekiel  and  Zechariah — the  former  in  exile 
among  the  Babylonians,  the  latter  at  Jerusalem  after  the 
restoration — had  added  their  predictions  to  those  already 
uttered  relating  to  Israel's  dispersion. 

The  Roman  Conquest. — Centuries  later,  in  Apostolic 
times,  went  forth  the  Epistle  of  James,  with  its  greeting: 

g,  See  Article  Five. 

h,  Mark  the  features  of  the  American  Indian.  Are  they  not  Jew- 
ish? Quite  as  strikingly  so,  as  that  many  of  his  traditions  and  cus- 
toms are  Israelitish.  Who  than  the  savage  Lamanite,  better  under- 
stands the  Mosaic  law  of  retaliation — "an  eye  for  an  eye  and  a 
tooth  for  a  tooth?"  Nor  cares  he  to  whom  the  eye  or  the  tooth 
lidongs,  whether  to  the  person  who  injured  him,  or  to  one  of  the 
laf^er's  tribe  or  nation.  He  is  too  much  of  an  Israelite  to  object 
to  proxies  and  substitutes. 

i.  Matt.  23 :37,  38. 


TO   THE  liXDS  OP  THE  EARTH.  143 

"To  the  Twelve.  Tribes  which  are  scattered  abroad."  But 
the  (lis])ersioii,  even  then,  was  not  complete.  There  were 
yet  to  1)e  other  painful  experiences  of  the  same  kind.  One 
of  the  most  notable  occurred  in  A.  D.  70,  when  Titus  the 
Roman  came  against  Jerusalem,  captured  the  city,  and 
sold  the  inhabitants — such  as  had  survived  the  horrors  of 
the  siege — into  slavery,  or  scattered  them  through  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  Empire.  To  follow  the  fortunes  of  this 
branch  of  the  fated  nation  in  all  its  subsequent  migrations 
and  wanderings,  would  fill  volumes. 

What  of  the  Benefits? — Let  us  now  consider  the 
question :  In  what  way  did  these  calamities  upon  Israel 
prove  a  blessing  to  the  human  race?  How,  by  the  scatter- 
ii:g  of  the  children  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacob,  was  God's 
promise  to  those  patriarchs  in  any  degree  fulfilled,  that 
in  their  seed  should  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  be  blessed? 
Already  I  have  answered  these  questions  in  part,  and  will 
now  answer  them  more  fully. 

The  Blood  That  Believes. — Through  these  acts  of 
deportation,  enforced  exile,  and  voluntary  wandering,  the 
blood  of  Israel,  the  blood  that  believes,  with  choice  spirits 
answering  to  that  blood,  and  no  doubt  selected  for  the 
purpose,  were  sent  into  those  nations  where  the  Gospel  has 
since  been  preached — spirits  capable  of  recognizing  and 
appreciating  the  Truth,  and  brave  enough  to  embrace  it. 
regardless  of  consequences;  thus  setting  an  example  of 
heroism,  of  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  conscience,  that 
would  naturally  appeal  to  the  noble  and  upright  surround- 
ing them,  and  influence  them  in  the  same  direction.  Mani- 
festly, that  was  of  far  greater  consequence  than  the  carry- 
ing by  the  captive  Israelites  of  their  laws,  traditions  and 
customs   into   those  nations ;  though  this   also  would   help 


144  A  GLANCE  DOWN  THE  AGES. 

to  ])rc])arc  the  way  for  the   wonderful   developments  that 
were  to  follow. 

Rapid  Spread  of  Christianity. — And  such  things  told 
in  after  years.  One  of  the  marvels  of  history  is  the  rapid 
s^.read  of  Christianity  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  who, 
unlettered  as  most  of  them  were,  and  in  the  midst  of  the 
fiercest  persecution,  planted  the  Gospel  standard  i'l  all 
the  principal  cities  of  the  Roman  Empire.  From  Jerusalem, 
the  tidings  of  ''Christ  and  him  crucified"  radiated  to 
Britain  on  the  west,  to  India  on  the  east,  to  Scythia  on 
the  north,  and  to  Ethiopia  on  the  south — all  within  the 
short  space  of  fifty  years.-' 


;',  Dean  Farrar.  in  his  "Life  and  Work  of  St.  Paul,"  contributes 
this  luminous  passage  as  explanatory  of  the  rapid  spread  of  Christi- 
anity : 

(I)  The  immense  field  covered  Iw  the  conquests  of  Alexander 
gave  to  the  civilized  w^orld  a  unity  of  language,  without  which  it 
would  have  been,  humanly  speaking,  impossible  for  the  earliest 
preachers  to  have  made  known  the  good  tidings  in  every  land  which 
they  traversed.  (II)  The  rise  of  the  Roman  Enjpirc  created  a  po- 
litical unity  which  reflected  in  every  direction  the  doctrines  of  the 
new  faith.  (Ill)  The  dispersion  of  the  Jews  prepared  vast  multi- 
tudes of  Greeks  and  Romans  for  the  unity  of  a  pure  morality  and  a 
monotheistic  faith.  The  Gospel  emanated  from  the  capital  of  Judea ; 
it  was  preached  in  the  tongue  of  Athens;  it  was  diffused  through 
tnc  empire  of  Rome ;  the  feet  of  its  earliest  missionaries  traversed 
the  solid  structure  of  undeviating  roads  by  which  the  Roman  legion- 
aries— 'those  massive  hammers  of  the  whole  earth' — had  made 
straight  in  the  desert  a  highway  for  our  God.  Semite  and  Aryan 
had  Ijeen  unconscious  instruments  in  the  hands  of  God  for  the  spread 
of  a  religion  which,  in  its  first  beginnings,  l)Oth  alike  detested  and 
despised." 

A  similar  marvel  is  the  spread  of  the  restored  Gospel  through 
the  Gentile  nations  of  modern  times,  a  work  yet  in  its  infancy.  The 
proselyting  success  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  on  l^oth  hemispheres, 
their  great  pilgrimage  from  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  the  redemption  of  a  wilderness,  the  founding  of  a  State, 
and  the  extraordinary  attention  attracted  bv  the  "iMormon''  people — 
altogether  out  of  proportion  to  their  numbers — these  combined  facts 
constitute  a  striking  fulfillment  of  the  prophetic  nicture  drawn  by 
the  Savior:  "Ye  are  as  a  city  set  upon  a  hill  which  cannot  be  hid." 


TO   THE  ENDS  OE  TEIE  EARTH.  145 

Many  Nations  Sprinkled.— How  could  such  things  be, 
if  Divine  Providence  hud  not  prepared  the  way  by  sending 
the  blood  and  genius  of  Israel  into  all  nations,  prior  to 
pouring  out  upon  those  nations  the  Spirit  of  the  Gospel 
and  the  Gathering?  Others  before  Abraham  had  shown 
their  faith  by  their  works;  but  this  does  not  disprove  his 
claim  to  the  title— ''Father  of  the  Faithful."  Nor  does  it 
prove  that  the  blood  of  faith,  wherever  found,  is  not  his 
blood.  The  Moabite  maiden  Ruth,  ancestor  of  Jesus  of 
Nazareth;  the  Roman  centurion,  whose  faith  caused 
even  the  Savior  to  marvel;  Cornelius  and  the  Woman  of 
Canaan— these  were  not  of  Israel,  by  recognized  earth- 
ly descent;  yet  their  spirits  were  well  worthy  of  such 
a  lineage,  and  in  their  veins  was  the  believing  blood  with 
which    God   has   "sprinkled    many    nations." 


lu 


PART    FIVE 


IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN 


ARTICLE  TWKXTV. 
The  Lamb  of  God. 

A  stranger  Star,  that  came  from  far, 

To  fling  its  silver  ray 
Where,  cradled  in  a  lowly  cave, 

A  lowlier  infant  lay; 
And  led  by  soft  sidereal  light, 

The  Orient  sages  bring- 
Rare  gifts  cf  gold  and  frankincense, 

To  greet  the  homeless  King. 

*  *     * 

He  wandered  thronsh  the   faith fnless   world, 

A  Prince  in  shepherd  guise; 
He  called  his  scattered  flock,  but  few 

The  Voice  did  recognize; 
For  minds  nnborne  by  hollow  pride. 

Or  dimmed  by  sordid  hist, 
Ne'er  look  for  kings  in  beggar's  garb, 

For  diamonds  in  the  dust. 

*  *     * 

Transfixt  he  hung — O  crime  of  crimes! — 

The  God  wdiom  worlds  adore. 
"Father  forgive  them!"  Drained  the  dregs; 

Immanuel — no  more. 
No  more  where  thunders  shook  the  earth, 

\\'here  lightnings,  'thwart  the  gloom. 
Saw  that  unconquered  Spirit  spurn 

The  shackles  of  the  tomb. 

h'ar-flaming  falchion,  sword  of  light. 

Swift-flashing  from  its  shcatli, 
Tt  cleft  the  realms  of  darkness  and 

Dissolved  the  bands  of  dcatli. 
Ileirs  dungeons  burst!     Wide  open  swung 

The  everlasting  bars. 
Whereby  the  ransomed  soul  shall  win 

Those   hciglits   bc\-ond   the   stars !« 


(f, 


"Elias,"  Canto  3,   Part  2. 


A   i/i^  y\4^u.^ 


150  IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN. 

The  Crucified  and  Crowned. — An  attempt(  to  tell, 
even  in  brief,  the  siil)limc  story  of  the  Christ,  would  be 
foreign  to  m}^  present  purpose,  Even  if  space  permitted, 
what  pen  could  do  justice  to  the  theme?  Suffice  it  that  the 
Christ  came,  in  the  Meridian  of  Time,  as  ancient  seers 
and  prophets  had  foretold.  Surrendering  himself  to 
to  death,  that  there  might  be  no  more  death,  He  arose  from 
the  grave  and  ascended  on  High,  glorified  with  that  glory 
which  the  Eternal  Son  had  with  the  Eternal  Father  before 
this  world  was  formed. 

The  Passover  Realized. — In  the  Savior's  crucifixion, 
the  prophetic  symbolism  of  the  Passover  had  a  most  re- 
markable realization.  In  nothing  was  this  more  strikingly 
manifest  than  in  certain  incidents  immediately  follow- 
ing the  Death  on  Calvar\^  The  commandment  instituting 
the  Paschal  Feast  required  that  no  bone  of  the,  lamb 
sliould  be  broken,  and  no  fragment  of  it  be  left  to  decay, 
representing  as  it  did  the  body  of  the  Holy  One,  which  was 
not  ''to  see  corruption."^  Mark  now  the  exact  fulfillment: 
The  Savior  had  been  crucified  between  two  thieves,  and 
at  smidown  on  the  day  of  crucifixion  the  Jewish  Sabbath 
began.  In  order  that  the  day  might  not  be  "desecrated," 
the  Pabbis  prevailed  upon  the  Roman  governor  to  have 
the  three  bodies  taken  down  from  the  crosses  and  buried.^ 
When  the  soldiers  went  to  remove  the  bodies,  finding  the 
two  thieves  still  alive,  they  put  an  end  to  them  by  break- 
ing their  legs ;  but  Jesus  was  spared  this  further  indignity. 


/),  Psalms  16:10. 

r.  The  hypocrites!  Thcv  oonld  commit  murder,  could  cause 
the  death  of  the  innocent,  and  feel  no  comnnnction:  hut  thev  were 
horrified  at  the  ihoncrht  of  a  technical  Sahhath-day  desecra- 
tion. Could  there  he  a  more  olnrinp-  instance  of  "strainin.cr  at  a 
q^nat  and  swallowing  a  camel"? 


THE  LAMB  OF  GOD  151 

hv  being-  "dead  already."^  Pierced  with  five  wounds,  yet 
not  a  bone  of  him  broken,  the  Lamb  of  God,  answering  in 
every  particular  to  the  Hkeness  of  the  paschal  lamb,  was 
laid  in  the  rocky  tomb,  whence  He  came  forth  on  the 
third  day,  his  perfectly  preserved  tabernacle  glorified  in 
immortality. 

The  Lord's  Supper.— The  night  before  the  Crucifix- 
ion, Tesus,  having  partaken  of  the  Passover  with  his  dis- 
ciples, instituted  in  its  stead  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
Supper,  commanding  them  to  observe  it  thenceforth.^  The 
Supper,  like  the  Feast,  pointed  to  the  Atonement ;  but  in 
the  Passover  the  pointing  was  forward  to  an  event  that 
had  not  yet  occurred,  while  in  the  Supper,  for  the  reverse 
reason,  the  indication  is  backward.  It  is  said  that 
the  paschal  lamb  was  offered  in  the  Temple  at  Jenisalem 
al^out  the  same  hour  that  Christ  died;  the  substance  and 
the  shadow  thus  corresponding.  Thereafter  the  Passover 
was  obsolete,  having  fulfilled  its  purpose,  and  as  the  type 
no  longer  typified,  it  should  have  been  discontinued.  The 
Jews,  however,  perpetuated  the  old-time  observance,  not 
recognizing  in  Jesus  their  Messiah. 

"It  is  Finishd."— The  Savior's  dying  words,  as  re- 
ported bv  the  Beloved  Disciple,^  have  been  the  subject  of 
much  controversy.  "It  is  finished."  What  did  those  words 
signify?  The  notion  has  been  entertained  that  Christ's 
crucifixion  completed  his  work,  so  far  as  personal  ministra- 
tions went,  and  that  after  the  opening  of  the  so-called 
Christian  Dispensation,  there  was  no  further  need  of  com- 
munication between  God  and  man.  "O  most  lame  and  im- 
potent conclusion!"  Whatever  construction  be  placed  upon 

d.  John   19:33. 

r.    Afntt.   26:17-20;    ^Tark    14:12-25;    Liikc   22:7-20. 

/.  Tobn  19:30. 


152  IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN. 

that  final  utterance  of  our  Lord's,  it  is  perfectly  clear,  from 
what  followed,  that  it  never  was  intended  to  convey  such  a 
meaning. 

Birth  and  Death  Incidental. — The  Death  on  Calvary 
was  no  more  the  ending,  than  the  Birth  at  Bethlehem  was 
the  beginning,  of  that  Divine  Career.  Both  w^ere  mere  in- 
cidents. The  Savior's  w^ork  is  universal,  extending  from 
Eternity  into  Time,  and  back  again  into  Eternity.  All  the 
Gospel  dispensations,  from  Adam  down  to  Joseph  Smith, 
are  parts  of  the  all-embracing  mission  of  Jesus  Christ.  Not 
until  "the  beginning  of  the  seventh  thousand  years,"  the 
Morning  of  the  "Resurrection,  ''will  the  Lord  God  sanctify 
the  earth  an-d  complete  the  salvation  of  man."^  Moreover, 
sanctification  will  be  succeeded  by  glorification,  still  an- 
other phase  of  the  work  of  Him  Avho  bringeth  to  pass  ''the 
immortality  and  eternal  life  of  man." 

The  Sacrifice  Complete. — What,  then,  was  "finished" 
by  the  Death  on  the  Cross?  Simply  the  pain  and  sorrow 
that  the  Son  of  God  had  willed  to  undergo,  that  He  might 
ransom  a  lost  creation,  and  make  it  possible  for  redeemed 
man,  by  faith  and  good  works,  to  lay  hold  upon  eternal 
life.  The  Savior's  self-imposed  humiliation,  his  voluntary 
sacrifice,  his  mysterious  all-comprehensive  suffering,  the 
piled  up  agony  of  the  human  race,  endured  by  him  vicari- 
ouslv,  to  the  end  that  his  atonement  might  be  infinite, 
reaching  to  evcr^'  son  and   daughter  of  Ad'am^' — this   was 


e.  n.  &•  C,  77:12. 

/;.  Th.   19:16-19. 

Sncli  was  flic  mission  of  him  conccrninn^  whom  Ncphi  of  o1f| 
pronhosicd :  "Arn-I  he  comcth  into  the  world  that  he  may  save 
all  mon  if  they  will  hearken  nnto  his  voice;  for  hehold,  he  siiffer- 
eth  the  pains  of  all  men,  yea.  the  pains  of  eyery  living  creature, 
hoth  men,  women,  and  children,  who  helong  to  the  family  of 
Adam.  And  he  snffereth  this  that  the  resnrrection  micrht  pass 
upon  all  men.  that  all  misht  stand  before  him  at  tlie  great  and 
jtid.srnient   day."      (2   Ncphi   9:21,  22.) 


THE  LAMB  OF  GOD  153 

finished,  this  was  at  an  end ;  not  the  work  of  God,  nor  the 
continuous  revelation  of  his  word  and  will  to  man. 

In  the  Spirit. — While  the  Savior's  body  was  lyinc: 
in  the  tomb,  his  spirit  entered  Paradise,  and  there  preached 
to  the  spirits  of  the  departed,  opening,  or  causing-  to  be 
opened,  the  dungeons  of  the  damned.  Returning,  He  took 
up  his  glorified  body,  and  appeared  in  it  to  his  astonished, 
half-doubting  disciples. 

On  Both  Hemispheres. — Christ  died  for  all;  but  all 
are  not  entitled  to  his  personal  ministrations.  The  sheep, 
however,  have  the  right  to  see  their  Shepherd  and  to  hear 
his  voice.  Accordingly,  after  he  had  confirmed  the  faith 
of  his  Jewish  disciples,  had  chosen  tv/elve  apostles,  and  sent 
them  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  power  and  demon- 
stration of  the  Holy  Spirit,  he  visited  the  Nephites,  in 
America,  for  a  similar  purpose.  They,  in  common  with  all 
Israel,  had  been  warned  by  prophets  to  prepare  for  his 
coming;  and  the  righteous  were  ready  to  receive  him.  Al- 
ready they  had  the  Gospel  and  the  Priesthood,  and  now  the 
Savior  organized  his  Church  among  them.  This  done.  He 
visited  other  broken-off  branches  of  the  "tame  olive  tree,"' 
their  whereabouts  as  unknown  to  Lehi's  descendants  in  the 
Land  Bountiful,  as  was  the  existence  of  the  Nephites  to  the 
inhabitants  of  Judea. 

The  "Other  Sheep."— Jesus  had  said  to  his  Jewish 
followers:  "Other  sheep  I  have,  which  are  not  of  this 
fold  :  them  also  I  must  bring,  and  they  shall  hear  my  voice. "^' 
They  inferred  that  He  meant  the  Gentiles :  but  such  was 
not  his  meaning.  His  direct,  special  errand  was  to  "the 
lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel."^     The  Gentiles  were  to 


/.  Taooh  5  :3. 
/.  John  10:16. 
k.  Matt.   15:24. 


154  IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN. 

be   converted  throug'h   the  preaching    of    Jewish-Christian 
evangels.^ 

The  ''other  sheep"  were  the  Nephitcs,  to  whom  the 
Savior  explained  his  half-veiled  utterance ;'"  also  declaring 
that  He  had  still  ''other  sheep,"  not  of  the  Nephite  fold 
nor  of  the  Jewish  fold,  and  that  they  likewise  should  see 
him  and  hear  his  voice."  Undoubtedly  this  allusion  was  to 
the  "Lost  Tribes" ;  but  not  to  them  alone.  It  included 
other  Hebrew  remnants,  unknown  to  man,  but  known  to 
Jehovah,  "keeping  watch  above  his  own"  in  the  mystical 
and  remote  regions  whither  his  judgments  had  driven  them. 

In  Remembrance  of  Him. — Both  in  Judea  and  in  the 
Land  Bountiful,  the  Savior  instituted,  among  those  who 
had  received  the  Gospel,  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper, 
that  memorial  of  his  sacrifice,  once  prospective,  now  retro- 
spective ;  once  a  prophecy,  now  a  fulfillment.  But  its  in- 
stitution among  the  Nephites,  unlike  its  introduction  among 
the  Jews,  was  after  his  resurrection.  Concerning  the  ear- 
lier incident,  the  New  Testament  says: 

"As  they  were  eating,  Jesus  took  bread  and  blessed  it. 
and  brake  it.  and  gave  it  to  the  disciples,  and  said.  Take, 
eat;   this   is  my  body. 

''And  he  took  the  cup,  and  gave  thanks,  and  gave  it  to 
them,  saving.  Drink  ve  all  of  it : 


/  Nevertheless,  it  was  all  the  work  of  the  Lord;  for  those 
evangels  were  his  servants,  his  messengers,  clothed  with_  his  au- 
thority and  acting  in  his  name  and  stead.  The  subordinate  is 
swallowed  up  in  the  principal.  It  is  the  general  of  an  army  who 
wins  victory  or  suffers  defeat,  though  millions  of  soldiers  miv 
have  been  fighting  under  his  direction.  The  Roman  myrmidons  who 
nailed  Jesus  to  the  cross  were  not  so  much  to  blame  for  the  cruel 
deed,  as  were  Pilate,  the  Procurator,  who  permitted,  nay,  orrlererl 
it  to' he  clone,  rnd  the  Jewish  Rahlis  who  Instigated  the  ''iudiciil 
nmrdcr"  of  the  sinV'^';  Son  of  God. 

m.  3  Nephi  15:21-24. 

n.  Ih.  16:1-3. 


THE  LAMB  OP  GOD  155 

''For  this  is  my  blood  of  the  new  testament,  which  is 
shed  for  many  for  the  remission  of  sins."'' 

"The  Real  Presence." — After  the  living  oracles  had 
departed,  and  only  the -dead  letter  of  the  Scriptures  re- 
mained, uninspired  ''private  interpretation"^  conceived  the 
notion  that  Jesus,  when  he  said.  "This  is  my  body"  and' 
"my  blood,"  meant  the  words  to  be  taken  literally.  From 
that  erroneous  inference  sprang-  the  doctrine  of  transubstan- 
tiation,  with  its  twin  heresy,  consubstantiation  ;  the  former 
a  Roman  Catholic  tenet,  the  latter  an  unorthodox  Protestant 
tenet  relating  to  the  Eucharist.  So  insistent  was  the  Catholic 
Church  upon  this  point,  that  men  and  women  were  con- 
demned and  punished  as  heretics,  for  denying  "the  real 
presence,"  the  actual  flesh  and  blood  of  Christ,  in  the  ele- 
ments of  the  Lord's  Supper.'? 

Figurative,  not  Literal. — The  language  of  Jesus, 
when  he  instituted  the  Lord's  Supper  at  Jerusalem,  was  un- 
doubtedly figurative.  When  He  said,  of  the  bread  and  wine. 
"This  is  my  body"  and  "my  blood,"  his  body  was  intact,  his 
spirit  in  his  body,  and  his  blood  yet  unsplit.  He  was  there 
in  person,  whole,  complete.  This  being  the  case,  how  could 
he  have  meant  to  identify  the  bread  and  wine  with  the 
constituents  of  his  mortal  tabernacle?  "These  are  the  em- 
blems of  my  body  and  blood" — that  was  his  meaning.  He 
made  this  clear  to  the  Nephites,  in  saying:  "This  shall 
ye  do  in  remembrance  of  my  body."  Remembrance  presup- 
poses absence.  Because  he  would  be  absent  in  body  there- 
after, they  were  to  do  this  "in  remembrance  of"  his  body. 
AMiat  need  to  remem1)er  him,  if  he  were  present  in  person? 


o,  Matt.  26:26-28.     Compare  3  Nephi  18:1-7. 
/>,  2  Peter  1:20. 

q,  A  fact  sufficient,  of  itself,  to  show  that  the  Church  was  in  an 
apostate  condition. 


156  IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN. 

As  well  require  faith  from  one  having  a  perfect  knowledge/ 

Use  of  Wine  Forbidden.— The  Latter-day  Saints  have 
been  criticized  for  using  water  in  the  Sacrament; 
the  Savior  having  sanctioned  the  use  of  wine  both  among 
the  Jews  and  the  Nephites.  The  explanation  for  the  change 
is  simple.  The  Church  of  Christ  is  not  dependent  upon 
books,  nor  upon  tradition.  It  has  an  inspired  Priesthood, 
led  by  immediate,  continuous  and  direct  revelation.  The 
Lord  has  commanded  his  people  in  these  days  not  to  use 
wine  in  the  Sacrament  under  existing  conditions.  This  is 
the  word  they  are  under  obligation  to  obey — not  the  word 
given  to  other  peoples  in  former  dispensations.-^ 

Christ  to  Come  Again. — Neither  the  Savior's  resur- 
rection, nor  his  ascension  into  Heaven^  signalized  the  end  of 
his  i^ersonal  ministry,  the  cessation  of  his  labors  in  behalf  of 
mankind.  After  his  resurrection,  He  'Svent  in  body  to  min- 
ister to  translated  and  resurrected  bodies;""  and  with  these 
He  will  return  when  Enoch's  City  descends  and  all  is 
ready  for  his  glorious  advent. 


r,  Too  much  reliance  upon  eitlier  tlie  literal  or  the  figurative  in 
language,  is  apt  to  be  misleading.  An  attendant  in  an  art  o-allery 
or  other  public  place  where  statues  or  paintings  are  on  exhibit, 
might  point  out  one  and  say  to  the  visitor:  'That  is  Caesar"  or 
•That  is  Washington;"  but  the  one  addressed  would  not  be 
likely  to  infer  that  Caesar  or  Washington  was  there  in  actual 
flesh  and  blood,  or  that  the  attendant  meant  to  be  so  understood. 
Nor  would  the  visitor  need  to  be  told  that  the  statue  or  the  paint- 
ing represented  the  original.  Such  an  explanation  would  be  super- 
fluous. The  form  of  the  Savior's  instruction  on  the  Sacrament— as- 
suming that  the  correct  translation  has  come  down  to  us— may  be 
accounted  for  in  like  manner.  He  knew  that  his  disciples  would 
understand  him— and  they  did.  They  were  not  dependent  upon 
the  letter  alone;  the  interpreting  Spirit  was  with  them  to  give 
it  life. 

.r.  D.  &  C.  27  :2-5. 

/,  Acts  1  :10,   11. 

11,  "Mediation  and   Atonement,"   p.  76. 


ARTTCr.K  TWENTY-ONE. 

The  Special  Witnesses. 

The  Men  Who  Knew. — The  Twelve  Apostles  were 
tlie  special  witnesses  of  Jesus  Christ.  As  such  they  had 
to  knozv,  not  merely  believe  that  he  had  risen  from  the 
dead.  And  they  did  know,  for  they  had  seen  him,  and  heard 
him,  and  had  even  been  permitted  to  touch  him,  that  lhey 
might  be  convinced  beyond  all  question  that  he  was  indeed 
what  he  proclaimed'  himself— the  Author  of  the  Resurrec- 
tion, the  Giver  of  eternal  life.  It  was  their  right  to  re- 
ceive this  rare  evidence,  owing  to  the  unique  character  of 
their  mission.  But  the  world  was  required  to  believe  what 
the  Apostles  testified  concerning  Him.  If  men  desired  sal- 
vation,' which  could  come  only  through  the  Savior,  they 
must  receive  in  faith  the  message  He  had  sent  his  servants 
to  deliver. 

The  Case  of  Thomas. — One  of  the  Twelve  was  absent 
when  his  brethren  received  their  first  visitation  from  the 
risen  Redeemer;  and  wdien  they  said,  "We  have  seen  the 
Lord,"  he  answered:  ''Except  I  shall  see  in  his  hands  the 
print  of  the  nails,  and  put  my  finger  into  the  print  of  the 
nails,  and  thrust  my  hand  into  his  side,  I  will  not  believe." 
Subsequently  the  Savior  appeared  to  this  Apostle  (Thomas) 
saying:  "Behold  my  hands;  and  reach  hither  thy  hand, 
and  thrust  it  into  my  side;  and  be  not  faithless,  but  be- 
lieving." "My  Lord  and  my  God!"  exclaimed  the  doubter 
— and  was  convinced." 

Complete  Qualification. — Thomas  has  been  censured 
for  demanding  to  see  and  to  feel  before  he  would  believe. 


a,  John  20:  24-28. 


158  IN  TIME'S  MERIMAN. 

How  much  blame  attaches  to  him  for  doubting,  I  will  not 
presume  to  say.  But  this  much  seems  clear:  He  had  the 
same  right  as  the  rest  of  the  Twelve  to  a  personal  appear- 
ing of  the  Lord — the  right  to  come  in  contact  with  Him 
of  whose  resurrection  he  was  required  to  testify.  The  others 
had  seen  and  heard — perhaps  had  even  felt,  for  Jesus  of- 
fered them  that  privilege.^  Why  should  not  Thomas 
share  in  the  experience?  What  else  could  completely 
qualify  him  as  a  special  witness? 

A  Peculiar  Position.— Sign-seeking  is  an  abomination, 
indicating  an  adulterous  disposition.^  It  is  blessed  to  believe 
without  seeing,  «  since  through  the  exercis,e  of  faith  comes 
spiritual  development;  while  knowledge,  by  swallowing  up 
faith,  prevents  its  exercise,  thus  hindering  that  develop- 
ment. "Knowledge  is  power;"  and  all  things  are  to  be 
known  in  due  season.  But  premature  knowledge — knowing 
at  the  wrong  time— is  fatal  both  to  progress  and  to  hap- 
piness. The  case  of  the  Apostles  was  exceptional.  They 
stood  in  a  peculiar  position.  It  was  better  for  them  to 
know — nay,  absolutely  essential,  in  order  to  give  the  requi- 
site  force   and   power  to  their  tremendous   testimony. 

The  Commission  of  the  Twelve. — ''Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature. 

"He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved;  but 
he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned. 

"And  these  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe:  In 
my  name  shall  they  cast  out  devils;  they  shall  speak  with 
new  tongues;  they  shall  take  up  serpents;  and  if  they  drink 
any  deadly  thing,  it  shall  not  hurt  them;  they  shall  lay 
hands  on  the  sick,  and  they  shall  recover."^ 


/;,  Luke  24  :39. 

c,  Matt.  16:4. 

d,  John  20:29. 

e,  Mark  16:15-18. 


THE  SPECIAL  IVITNESSES  159 

*'Go  ye  therefore  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them 
in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ; 

"Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have 
commanded  you ;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto 
the  end  of  the  world.     Amen."^ 

The  Promised  Signs. — Thus  we  see  that  certain 
miraculous  "signs"  were  promised  to  ''them  that  believe." 
But  these  signs  were  intended  to  comfort  the  Saints,  not  to 
encourage  the  sign-seeker;  and  they  were  to  ''follow,"  not 
precede,  belief.  It  is  not  the  sign,  but  the  seeking,  that  the 
Lord  deprecates,  the  motive  being  evil.^ 

Apostolic  Activities.— Obedient  to  the  divine  man- 
date, the  Apostles  at  Jerusalem,  having  been  "endued  with 
power  from  on  high"^'  went  forth  with  their  fellows,  preach- 
ing "Christ  and  him  crucified,"  calHng  upon  men  to  be- 
lieve, to  repent,  and  have  their  sins  remitted  by  baptism, 
that  they  might  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Great 
power  accompanied  their  ministrations.  Within  the  next 
half  century  the  glad  tidings  borne  by  them  had  spread 
over  the  whole  Roman  Empire  and  into  barbarian  realms 
beyond. 

Equality  and  Unity.— The  Apostles  must  have  known 
of    Enoch's    wonderful    work.      Jude    refers    to    Enoch's 


f,  Matt.  28:19,  20.  ^.         • 

g.  Says  the  Prophet  Joseph:  "When  I  was  preaching  m 
Phtladelphia,  a  Quaker  called  out  for  a  sign.  I  told  him  to  be 
still.  After  the  sermon  he  again  asked  for  a  sign.  I  told  the 
congregation  that  the  man  was  an  adulterer ;  .  .  .  that  the  Lord 
had  said  to  me  in  a  revelation  that  any  man  who  wanted  a  sign 
was  an  adulterous  person.  'It  is  true,'  cried  one,  'for  I  caught  him 
in  the  very  act,'  which  the  man  afterwards  confessed  when  he  was 
baptized."  (Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5  p.  268).  More  than  one  "Mormon"  mis- 
sionary, pestered  by  sign-seekers,  has  appHed  the  test  furnished  by 
the  Prophet,  with  invariable  and  complete  success. 

/;,  Luke  24:49;  Acts  2:1-4. 


160  IN  TIME'S  MERIDIAN. 

prophecy  of  the  Lord's  cominy-  "with  ten  thousand  of  liis 
saints."  *  Possibly  the  Twelve  had  access  to  the  Book  of 
Enoch/  one  of  the  lost  books  of  Scripture.  At  all  events, 
they  sought  to  introduce,  among  the  earliest  proselytes  to 
the  Christian  faith,  a  similar  order  to  that  established  in 
Enoch's  day.  Concerning  the  later  attempt  to  ''bring  forth 
Zion."  it  is  written : 

"And  the  multitude  of  them  that  believed  were  of  one 
heart  and  of  one  soul ;  neither  said  any  of  them  that  aught 
of  the  things  which  he  possessed  was  his  own ;  but  they 
had  all  things  common.    .    .    . 

"Neither  was  there  any  among  them  that  lacked ;  for 
as  many  as  were  possessors  of  lands  or  houses  sold  them 
and  brought  the  prices  of  the  things  that  were  sold, 

"And  laid  them  down  at  the  apostles'  feet;  and  distri- 
bution was  made  unto  every  man  according  as  he  had 
need'."^ 

How  long  this  condition  lasted  with  the  Jewish  Saints, 
we  are  not  told.  Among  their  contemporaries,  the  Nephite 
followers  of  Christ,  the  splendid  results  flowing  from  the 
practice  of  the  Law  of  Consecration  are  thus  portrayed : 

"The  people  were  all  converted  unto  the  Lord,  upon 
all  the  face  of  the  land,  both  Nephites  and  Lamanites,  and 
there  were  no  contentions  and  disputations  among  them, 
and  every  man  did  deal  justly,  one  with  another; 

"And  they  had  all  things  common  among  them,  there- 
fore they  were  not  rich  and  poor,  bond  and  free,  but  they 
were  all  made  free,  and  partakers  of  the  heavenly  gift."^ 

The  Apostles  Taken. — One  by  one  the  Apostles  were 
taken.    James  was  slain  with  the  sword  at  Jerusalem.    Peter, 

i,  Jude  14. 
y,  D.  &  C.  107:57. 
k,  Acts  4:32,  34,  35. 
/,  4  Nephi  1 :2,3. 


THE  SPECIAL  WITNESSES  161 

if  the  tradition  be  trustworthy,  was  crucified  at  Rome,  where 
Paul  likewise  suffered  martyrdom,  by  decapitation.  All 
were  put  to  death,  save  one,  concerning  whom  Peter  had 
inquired  of  the  Lord :  "What  shall  this  man  do  ?"  And  the 
Lord  had  said:  ''If  I  will  that  he  tarry  till  I  come,  what 
is  that  to  thee?"  "Then  went  this  saying  abroad  among 
the  brethren ;  that  that  disciple  should  not  die."'" 

John  Tarries. — Modern  revelation  confirms  the  an- 
cient tradition  that  John  the  Beloved  did  not  taste  of  death, 
but  obtained  from  the  Lord  a  promise  that  he  should  re- 
main in  the  flesh,  fortified  against  disease  and  dissolution, 
and  do  a  wondrous  work.  He  was  to  "prophesy  before  na- 
tions, kindred,  tongues  and  peoples,  and  continue  on  earth 
until  the  Lord  came  in  his  glory.""  It  is  traditional  that 
an  attempt  was  made  upon  John's  life  by  throwing  him  into 
a  cauldron  of  boiling  oil ;  but  he  escaped  miraculously. 

A  Falling- Away  Foreseen. — In  the  ninety-sixth  year 
of  the  Christian  era  this  Apostle  was  on  the  Isle  of  Patmos, 
in  the  Aegean  Sea.  Patmos  served  the  Romans  very  much 
as  Siberia  has  since  served  the  Russians.  To  that  desolate 
place  the  Empire  banished  its  criminals,  compelling  them 
to  work  in  the  mines.  John  was  an  exile  for  Truth's 
sake.  But  the  Lord  had  not  forgotten  his  servant,  though 
men  had  rejected  him  and  cast  him  out.  The  Heavens  were 
opened  to  him,  and  he  was  shown  things  that  would  come 
to  pass  thereafter,  also  events  that  were  even  then  taking 
place.  He  beheld  the  sad  spectacle  of  a  paganized  Christen- 
dom, the  "falling  away"  that  St.  Paul  had  predicted.^ 

Restaration  and  Judgment. — But    John    also    looked 

forward   to   a  time   when   the  pure   Christian   faith   would 

be  restored;  when   an  Angel  would  "fly  in  the  midst  of 

w7john  21:20-23. 
n,   D.   &   C.    7. 

o,  8.  Thess.  2:3;  1  Tim.  4:1;  2  Tim.  3:1-5;  Rev.  Chaps.  17,  18. 
11 


162  IN  TIMES  MERIDIAN. 

heaven,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach  unto  them 
that  dwell  on  the  earth;"/'  when  Israel  would  be  called  out 
from  the  nations;'?  when  the  hour  of  God's  judgment  would 
come,  and  the  dead,  small  and  great,  would  stand  before 
the  Great  White  Throne,  to  give  answer  for  the  deeds  done 
in  the  body/' 

Among  the  Nephites. — The  experience  of  the  Church 
of  Christ  on  the  Western  continents  was  in  many  respects 
a  duplicate  of  its  experience  in  Oriental  lands.  Here  as 
well  as  there,  special  witnesses  were  chosen,-'  and  to  three  of 
the  Nephite  Twelve,  Christ  gave  the  same  promise  that  he 
l;ad  given  to  the  Ai)Ostle  John — a  jiromise  that  they  should 
remain  in  the  body,  not  subject  to  death,  and  bring  souls  to 
Him/ 

A  Foretaste  of  the  Millennium. — The  Nephite  Church 
had   a   marvelous   career — even   more   marvelous   than   had 

the  Jewish  Church.  "The  people  were  all  converted  unto 
the   Lord,"  and   for  two  full  centuries"  a  social  condition 

similar  to  that  wd]ich  ha<l  'characterized  Enoch's  ancient 
commonwealth,  w^as  the  favored  lot  of  this  flourishing 
])ranch  of  the  House  of  Israel.  It  was  a  foretaste  of  the 
Millennium,  a  foreshadowing  of  the  great  Day  of  Peace. 

Japheth  Smites  Jacob. — Then  came  pride,  the  beset- 
ting sin  of  the  Nephite  nation,  with  class  divisions,  envyings, 
covetousness,  strife,  and — for  the  civilized  portion  of  the 
once  delightsome  people — extermination.    Darkened  in  body 

1  in  nu'nd.  the  desfenerate  Lamanites  were  left  to  meet  the 


an( 


to 


on-rollinu-    tide    of    over-seas    immiQTation,    and    1)e      over 


p,  Rev.   14:6. 
q,  lb.   18:4. 
r,  Tb.  20:11,  12. 
.y.  3  Nephi  19:4. 
t,  11).  28:4-23. 
u.  4  lb.  1:22. 


THE  SPECIAL  WITNESSES  163 

whelmed  thereby ;  "a  remnant  of  Jacob,"  to  be  smitten  and 
(h-iven  by  the  children  of  Japheth,  ''until  the  times  of  the 
Gentiles  were  fulfilled.""^ 


c',  Though  tramped  upon  for  many  generations,  the  Lamanites 
are  not  a  dying  race,  as  is  generally  supposed.  According  to 
Doctor  Lawrence  W,  White,  of  the  Unites  States  Indian  Bureau,  the 
Indian  population  in  1870,  when  the  first  reliable  census  was  made 
by  the  bureau,  was  placed  at  313,712.  It  is  now  333,702,  a  num- 
ber not  exceeded,  thinks  that  expert,  by  the  total  of  aborigines 
in  America  at  the  time  of  its  discovery  by  Columbus. — See  edi- 
torial article,  "Indians  Reviving,"  Salt  Lake  Tribune,  February 
13.  1920. 


PART   SIX 


THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION. 


ARTICLK  TWRXTY-TWO. 
The  Call  of  the  Shepherd. 

"Come  Out  of  Her,  My  People." — The  Dispersion  of 
Israel  has  for  its  complement  the  Gathering  of  Israel :  the 
prophets  who  predicted  the  one  likewise  foretelling  the  other. 
The  Savior's  personal  visits  to  the  various  branches  of  the 
Israelitish  race,  before  or  after  His  resurrection,  were  pro- 
phetic of  a  general  restoration  of  the  Lord's  people  to  their 
ancient  lands,  and  the  folding  of  the  scattered  sheep  into  one 
great  flock,  with  him  as  the  Shepherd  over  all.^ 

Prophecies  of  the  Gathering. — The  more  notable  of 
the  Hebrew  prophecies  pertaining  to  the  Gathering  are  as 
here  given : 

Isaiah. — "And  He  shall  set  up  an  ensign  for  the  nations, 
and  shall  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and  gather  to- 
gether the  dispersed  of  Judah  from  the  four  corners  of  the 
earth."  .  .  . 

''They  shall  fly  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Philistines  to- 
\\  ard  the  West."  .  .  . 

"And  there  shall  be  an  highway  for  the  remnant  of  his 
people,  which  shall  be  left,  from  Assyria;  like  as  it  was  to 
Israel  in  the  day  that  he  came  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egy^pt."^ 

"orjobn  10:16;  3  Nephi  15:21;  16:1-3;  21. 

6,  Tsa.  11:12,  14,  ]6.  See  rlso  5:26;  35:10;  43:5.  6.  The  same 
Prophet  declares ; 

"And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in  the  last  days,  that  the  mountain 
of  the  Lord's  house  shall  be  established  in  the  top  of  the  moun- 
tains and  shall  be  exalted  above  the  hills;  and  all  nations  shall 
flow  unto  it. 

"And  many  people  shall  go  and  say.  Come  ye,  and  let  us  go  up 
to  the  mountain  of  the  Lord,  to  the  house  of  the  God  of  Jacob; 
and  he  will  teach  us  of  his  ways,  and  we  will  walk  in  his  paths: 
for  out  of  Zion  shrdl  ^o  forth  the  law,  and  the  word,  of  the  Lord 
from  Jerusalem,"     (Isa.  2:2,3.) 

This  prophecy,  however,  seems  to  refer,  not  so  much  to  a  gath- 
ering of  Israel,  as  to  an  Israel  already  gathered,  unto  whom 
the  nations  will  come  to  learn  the  ways  of  the  Lord. 


168  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

Jeremiah. — "I  will  take  you  one  of  a  city,  and  two  of 
a  family,  and  I  will  bring  you  to  Zion."  .  .  . 

'^Therefore,  behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord,  that 
it  shall  no  more  be  said,  The  Lord  liveth,  that  brought 
up  the  children  of  Israel  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt ; 

"But,  the  Lord  liveth  that  brought  up  the  children  of 
Israel  from  the  land  of  the  north,  and  from  all  the  lands 
whither  he  had  driven  them;  and  I  will  bring  them  again 
into  their  land  that  I  gave  unto  their  fathers. 

''Behold,  I  will  send  for  many  fishers,  saith  the  Lord, 
and  they  shall  fish  them ;  and  after  will  I  send  for  many 
hunters,  and  they  shall  hunt  them  from  every  mountain,  and 
from  every  hill,  ancj  out  of  the  holes  of  the  rocks."  .  .  . 

"Behold,  I  will  bring  them  from  the  north  country,  and 
gather  them  from  the  coasts  of  the  earth.   .      .    . 

"For  I  am  a  father  to  Israel,  and  E^hraim  is  my 
first  born. 

"Hear  the  word  of  the  Lord,  O  ye  nations,  and  declare 
it  in  the  isles  afar  off,  and  say.  He  that  scattered  Israel 
will  gather  him,  and  keep  him,  as  a  shepherd  doth  his 
flock."^ 

Jesus  Christ. — ^"And  again  this  gospel  of  the  king- 
dom shall  be  preached  in  all  the  world,  for  a  witness  unto 
all  nations,  and  then  shall  the  end  come,  or  the  destruction 
of  the  wicked."'' 

"And  He  shall  send  his  angels  with  a  great  sound  of  a 
trumpet,  and  they  shall  gather  together  his  elect  from  the 
four  winds,  from  one  end  of  heaven  to  the  other."^ 

The  Savior  also  predicted  to  the  Nephites  the  gathering 


c,  Jer.  3:14;  16:  14-16;  31:8-10. 

d,  Matt.  24:31,  as  rendered  by  Joseph  the  Seer,  Pearl  of  Groat 
Price,  p.  78. 

e,  lb.  Bible,  King  James'  version. 


I 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  SHEPHERD  169 

of  the  House  of  Israel  /  and  John  the  Revelator  foresaw  the 
same  event  in  his  great  vision  on  Patmos.^ 

The  Realization.— How  marvelcusly  and  how  rapidly 
these  predictions  are  being;  fulfilled,  the  history  of  the  past 
hundred  years  plainly  tells.  The  Angel  with  the  Everlasting 
Gospel  has  flown  from  heaven  to  earth,  and  the  message 
borne  by  him  is  being  preached  ''again"  m\  all  the  world,  as 
a  final  witness  to  the  nations. 

Isaiah's  reference  to  the  setting  up  of  an  Ensign  for 
Israel's  gathering  finds  its  fulfilment  in  the  restoration  of 
•  the  Gospel  and  the  Priesthood,  and  in  the  organization  of 
the  Church  of  Christ  in  this  dispensation.^^  Then  and  there 
was  raised  a  rallying  standard  for  the  sons  and  daughters 
of  Ephraim,  the  first  scions  of  Jacob's  household  to  be 
"born  again,"  to  embrace  the  ancient  faith  in  modern  times 
—the  first  of  the  broken  off  branches  of  Israel's  "olive 
tree"  to  be  ''grafted  in  again"  and  bear  good  fruit.^ 

Keys  of  the  Gathering  Restored.— Before  there  could 
be  a  complete  gathering  of  the  chosen  people,  the  Keys 
of  the  Gathering  had  to  be  restored.  Accordingly,  when 
the  time  was  ripe,  they  were  conferred  upon  the  founder 
of  the  Latter-day  Church.  Moses,  who  held  those  keys  at 
the  time  of  the  Exodus  from  Egypt,  was  the  messenger 
who  now  restored  them.  The  place  of  restoration  was  the 
Kirtland  Temple ;  the  time,  April,  1836.  Joseph  Smith  and 
Oliver  Cowdery  testify  that  ''the  veil"  was  taken  from 
their  minds,  and  they  "saw  the  Lord,"  even  Jehovah,  who 
proclaimed  to  them  his  identity  with  the  Savior  of  Man- 
kind.    The  record  then  continues: 


i:  L^''l4:?6;  18:4.  See  also  Deut.  33:17;  Psalms,  50:5;  Ezek. 
14-12-14 
^    'h,  D.'&  C.  115:4,  5;  45:9;  64:42. 

i,  Jacob  5  and  6. 


i;0  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

''After  this  vision  closed,  the  heavens  were  again  oi)enecl 
unto  us,  and  Moses  appeared  before  us,  and  committed  unto 
us  the  keys  of  the  gathering  of  Israel  from  the  four  parts 
of  the  earth,  and  the  leachng  of  the  ten  tribes  from  the  land 
of  the  north."-' 

First  Latter-day  Saints. — Then  began  the  great  v^ork 
for  which  these  keys  had  been  restored.  All  preceding  it 
was  but  preparatory.  "Mormonism's"  first  converts  had 
been  made  in  the  region  wdiere  the  Church  arose — the  farm- 
ing districts  of  Western  New  York  and  Northern  Pennsyl- 
vania. But  Kirtland,  Ohio,  was  the  cradle  of  the  Kingdom. 
There  a  Temple  was  built,  and  the  Priesthood  more  per- 
fectly organized,  preliminary  to  the  sending  of  the  Gospel  to 
foreign  nations,  and  the  gathering  of  scattered  Israel  to  the 
Land  of  Zion.  Up  to  the  summer  of  1837  the  "fishers  of 
men"  were  busy  only  in  the  United  States  and  in  Canada. 
Now  they  crossed  over  to  the  British  Isles,  and  later 
to  the  continent  of  Europe.  Instant  and  marvelous  was 
their  success.  In  parts  of  England — notably  Lancashire  and 
Herefordshire — whole  villages  and  congregations  were 
swept  into  the  Church  by  the  unlettered  yet  divinely  empow- 
ered Apostles  of  the  new  dispensation.^ 

Earliest  Immigrants. — A  small  company  of  Latter- 
day  Saints,  numbering  but  forty-one — the  first  to  "gather" 
from  abroad — sailed  on  the  ship  "Britannia"  from  Liver- 
pool for  New  York,  in  June,  1840.  They  were  bound  for 
Nauvoo,  Illinois.  Each  succeeding  year  added  its  quota  to 
the  fast  growdng  nucleus  of  the  Savior's  kingdom.  Thus  was 


/,D.&C.  110:1-4,  11. 

k,  Heber  C.  Kimball,  one  of  the  Twelve,  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  first  foreign  mission.  He  was  accompanied  by  Orson  Hyde, 
Willard  Richards,  and  otlicr  Elders.  Subsequently  another  apos- 
tolic misson,  headed  by  Rrigham  Young  and  including  a  majority 
of  the  Twelve,  carried  the  Gospel  to  all  parts  of  the  British  Isles. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  SHEPHERD  1/1 

set  in  motion  the  mighty  tide  of  immigration  which,  swelHng 
the  numbers  of  the  Saints  in  the  Mississippi  Valley,  even- 
tually peopled  with  the  skilled  mechanics  and  hardy  yeo- 
manry of  Great  Britain,  Scandinavia  and  other  European 
countries,  the  mountains  and  valleys  of  the  Great  West. 

The  Impelling  Motive. — Hov^  different  the  motives 
impelling  these  people,  from  the  motives  generally  imputed 
to  them !  It  was  not  for  gold  and  silver,  flocks  and  herds, 
nor  any  of  "the  good  things  of  this  world,"  that  they  for- 
sook home  and  country  and  "gathered"  to  the  Land  of 
Zion.  It  was  not  to  better  their  temporal  condition,  that  they 
abandoned  comfort  and  in  some  cases  affluence^  crossed  the 
stormy  ocean,  dragged  rickety  hand-carts  over  parching 
plains  and  snow-capt  mountains,  to  settle  in  a  barren  wilder- 
ness and  endure  hardships  and  privations  innumerable,  while 
redeeming  the  waste  and  dotting  it  with  cities,  farms  and 
vineyards.  It  was  for  God  and  his  Kingdom — nothing  less : 
and  it  was  the  love  of  Truth  that  inspired  and  impelled 
them.^ 

Character  of  the  Saints. — Utah's  early  settlers  were 
stigmatized  as  ignorant  and  malicious.     It  was  ignorance  or 

/,  I  was  once  asked  by  a  gentleman,  friendly  to  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  why  they  did  not  co-cperate  with  the  millionaire  philanthro- 
pists who  have  endeavored  in  recent  years  to  place  upon  arid  lands 
poor  Jews  taken  out  of  large  cities ;  but  whose  efforts,  owing  to  inex- 
perience in  such  enterprises,  have  been  more  or  less  futile.  My  ques- 
tioner thought  a  copartnership  between  such  capitalists  and  such  col- 
onists— one  to  furnish  the  money,  the  other  the  knowledge  and  skill 
necessary  for  the  undertaking — might  work  a  splendid  result.  He 
added  with  unction :  "You  could  stipulate,  you  know,  that  every 
Jew  thus  colonized  should  become  a  Mormon — and  just  think  how 
that  would  build  up  your  Church  !" 

The  intent  was  serious,  but  the  effect  was  to  amuse.  It  sug- 
gested the  Shakespearean  court  scene,  where  the  Venetian  Duke  de- 
cides that  the  Jew  Shylock,  as  part  of  his  punishment  for  seeking 
the  life  of  Antonio,  shall  "presently  become  a  Christian."  ("Merchant 
of  Venice,"  Act  4.  Scene  1).  As  if  Christians  could  be  made  by 
judicial  decisions  or  "Mormons"  by  contracts  for  colonization. 


172  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

malice  that  so  stigmatized  them.  *'Sciim  of  the  earth,"  "off- 
scourings of  civilization,"  were  some  of  the  pet  names  be- 
stowed upon  them  by  their  enemies.  How  utterly  unjust 
these  epithets,  how  grotesquely  misapplied,  everyone  must 
know  who  has  any  knowledge  of  the  facts.  In  reality,  they 
were  among  the  best  men  and  women  of  their  time.  Many 
of  them  were  descended  from  the  Pilgrims  and  the  Patriots 
who  founded  this  nation,  and  in  their  veins,  as  Children  of 
the  Covenant,  flowed  the  blood  of  priests  and  kings,  il- 
lustrious through  a  thousand  generations.'" 

These  modern  Zion-builders  were  not  among  those  who 
wait  for  a  cause  to  become  popular  before  embracing  it. 
Lowell  little  realized  how  admirably  he  was  painting  their 
portrait  when  he  penned  these  lines: 

Then  to  side  with  Truth  is  noble, 

When  we  share  her  wretched  crust, 
Ere  her  cause  bring  fame  and  profit, 

And  'tis  prosperous  to  be  just. 
Then  it  is  the  brave  man  chooses, 

While  the  coward  stands  aside, 
Doubting  in  his  abject  spirit 

Till  his  Lord  is  crucified, 
And  the  multitude  make  virtue 

Of  the  faith  they  had  denied. 
*     *     * 
They  are  slaves  who  fear  to  speak 

For  the  fallen  and  the  weak; 
They  are  slaves  who  wall  not  choose 

Hatred,  scoffing  and  abuse, 

m,  Talent  and  genius,  brain  and  brawn,  from  every  part  of  the 
world  came  in  the  early  immigrations  to  Salt  Lake  Valley — farm- 
ers, laborers,  tradesmen,  mechanics,  merchants,  manufacturers  and 
l)usiness  men,  with  a  liberal  sprinkling  of  artists,  musicians,  writers 
and  other  professional  people.  "In  their  degree  the  pick  and  flower 
of  England,"  was  the  comment  passed  upon  a  ship's  company  of 
"Mormon"  emigrants,  by  Charles  Dickens,  the  great  English  author, 
in  his  sketch  "The  Uncommercial  Traveler,"  published  in  1863. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  SHEPHERD  173 

Rather  than  in  silence  shrink 

From  the  truth  they  needs  must  think; 
The}^  are  slaves  who  dare  not  be 
In  the  right  with  two  or  three. 

Not  slaves,  but  free  men  and  free  women,  founded  the 
Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints.  They  were 
of  the  sheep  that  knew  the  Shepherd's  voice,  and  when 
put  to  the  test,  they  showed  "the  mettle  of  their  pasture." 

"One  of  a  City  and  Two  of  a  Family." — Jeremiah's 
prediction  was  uttered  at  a  time  when  families  (tribes) 
were  much  larger  than  they  now  are — large  enough  for 
one  tribe  to  fill  several  cities."  Otherwise,  the  prophet 
might  have  changed  his  wording  to  read:  "One  of  a  family 
and  two  of  a  city."  Phrased  either  way,  the  forecast  has 
been  literally  fulfilled  in  the  painful  and  pathetic  expe- 
riences of  many  Latter-day  Saints,  including  women  and 
children,  turned  out-of-door  by  parents  or  guardians,  for 
daring  to  be  "one  of  a  city"  or  "two  of  a  family,"  in  iden- 
tifying themselves  with  a  people  everywhere  ''spoken 
against."^ 

"The  Shoulders  of  the  Philistines."— This  phrase 
translates  itself  into  the  facilities  for  far  and  rapid  trans- 
portation owned  and  operated  by  the  Gentiles,  but  utilized 
by  the  God  of  Jacob  in  bringing  his  people  from  foreign 
shores,  and  up  into  the  tops  of  "the  high  mountains  of 
Israel."^  "They  shall  fly  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Philis- 
tines toward  the  West."  When  Isaiah  wrote  those  witrds,  he 
was  gazing  with  prophetic  eye  upon  this  very  period.  He  be- 
held the  ships  and  railroads  of  the  Gentiles,  likewise  the 
Land  of  Zion,  now  occupiedl  by  the  Gentiles,  hut  for- 
merly peopled  by  the  Nephites  (Joseph  and  Judah)  and  in- 

n,  Joshua  21 :41. 
0,  Acts  28:22. 
fi.  Ezek.  34:14. 


174  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

eluded  in  the  lands  that  God  gave  to  their  forefathers.^ 
Israel  needs  the  help  of  the  Gentiles — their  wealth,  their 
power,  their  wonderful  insight  into  and  command  over 
material  things,  their  intelligence  and  skill  in  manipulating 
temporalities.  How,  without  the  children  of  Japheth,  could 
the  children  of  Jacob  be  gathered  out  from  the  nations?'' 

The  Lost  Tribes. — It  is  maintained  by  some  that  the 
lost  tribes  of  Israel — those  carried  into  captivity  about  725 
B.  C. — are  no  longer  a  distinct  people ;  that  they  exist  only 
in  a  scattered  condition,  mixed  with  the  nations  among 
which  they  were  taken  by  their  captors,  the  conquering 
Assyrians.  If  this  be  true,  and  those  tribes  were  not  intact 
at  the  time  Joseph  and  Oliver  received  the  keys  of  the 
gathering,  why  did  they  make  so  pointed  a  reference  to 
"the  leading  of  the  ten  tribes  from  the  land  of  the  north?" 
This,  too,  after  a  general  allusion  to  "the  gathering  of  Israel 
from  the  four  parts  of  the  earth."  What  need  to  par- 
ticularize as  to  the  Ten  Tribes,  if  they  were  no  longer  a 
distinct  people?  And  why  do  our  Articles  of  Faith  give 
those  tribes  a  special  mention?-^ 


q,  Jer.    16:15;    Deut.   33:13-16;    Gen.   49:22-26. 

r,  The  work  is  too  vast,  too  arduous,  for  any  one  people  to 
accomplish,  particularly  a  people  who  are  a  mere  handful  among 
earth's  teeming  millions.  God,  not  man,  is  doing  this  work,  and 
He  is  not  limited  in  his  choice  of  instruments  to  his  own  covenant 
people.  All  men,  all  nations,  knowingly  or  unknowingly,  are  play- 
ing into  his  hands. 

s,  The  fact  that  Arctic  explorers  have  found  no  such  people  at 
the  North  Pole — where  some  theorists  have  persisted  in  placing 
them — does  not  prove  that  the  "Ten  Tribes"  have  lost  their  iden- 
tity. It  was  tradition,  not  revelation,  that  located  them  at  the 
North  Pole,  "The  north  country,"  "The  land  of  the  north," 
these  are  the  scriptural  designations  of  their  uaknown  abode.  All 
the  rest  is  inference.  Those  tribes  could  still  be  intact,  and  yet 
much  of  their  blood  be  found  among  the  northern  nations.  Some 
of  the  pilgrims  might  easily  have  mixed  with  the  people  encountered 
by  them  while  journeying  toward  their  ultimate  destination;  and 
that  Ephraim  did  so  mix.  Rosea  the  Prophet  (7:8)  declares. 


THE  CALL  OF  THE  SHEPHERD  175 

The  "Highway."— Isaiah's  reference  to  the  "High- 
way" points  (Hrectly  to  the  lost  tribes,  respecting  whos? 
return  from  "The  North  Country,"  his  fellow  prophet,  Jere- 
miah, promises  an  event  that  shall  so  far  eclipse  in  scope 
and  grandeur  Israel's  exodus  from  Egypt,  that  the  latter 
will  no  more  be  mentioned. 

Joseph  the  Seer  must  have  had  the  same  thing  in  mind 
when  he  wrote:  "And  they  who  are  in  the  north  countries 
shall  come  in  remembrance  before  the  Lord,  and  their  pro- 
phets shall  hear  his  voice,  and  shall  no  longer  stay  them- 
selves, and  they  shall  smite  the  rocks  and  the  ice  shall  flow 
down  at  their  presence,  and  an  highway  shall  be  cast  up  in 
the  midst  of  the  great  deep."* 

Already  he  had  foretold  the  removal  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints  to  the  Rocky  xVIountains — then  a  desolate,  uninhab- 
ited region — and  was  evidently  pondering  that  thought  when 
he  further  declared :  "And  in  the  barren  deserts  there  shall 
come  '  forth  pools  of  living  water ;  and  the  parched  ground 
shall  no  longer  be  a  thirsty  land."" 

Ephraim  and  the  Returning  Tribes.— It  was  Ephraim 
who  lifted  the  Ensign  for  the  Gathering.  It  is  to  Ephraim 
that  the  returning  tribes  wdll  "bring  forth  their  rich  trea- 
sures," receiving  from  him  their  spiritual  blessings.  "And 
the  boundaries  of  the  everlasting  hills  shall  tremble  at  their 
presence.""^ 

Jiidah  and  Jerusalem. — The  same  prophecy  mentions 
the  tribe  of  Judah,  whose  gathering  place,  however,  is  not 
the  Land  of  Zion,  not  the  New  Jerusalem,  but  Jerusalem  of 
old,  yet  to  be  rebuilt  upon  a  scale  of  magnificence  paralleled 

t,  D.  &  C,  133:26,  27. 
II,  Tb.  133:29. 
z'  lb.  vv.  30,  32. 


176  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

only  by  the  splendor  of  her  sister  city  and  twin  capital  of 
Christ's  Kingdom/^ 

Even  as  the  Waters. — Hear,  O  Israel!  Children  of 
Jacob!  The  night  of  dispersion  is  past.  The  day  of  gath- 
ering has  dawned.  The  tempests  that  broke  above  the  heads 
of  your  ancestors  have  spent  their  fury,  and  the  clouds 
have  parted  and  are  rolling  away.  The  barren  ground,  re- 
freshed by  the  fearful  visitation,  has  brought  forth  abund- 
antly, and  a  ripened  harvest  awaits  the  reaper's  cycle.  The 
revivifying  rains,  having  fulfilled  their  mission,  must  now 
return  to  the  ocean  whence  they  were  taken.  Such  is  the 
meaning,  the  symbolism,  of  the  scattering  and  gathering 
of  Israel. 


zu,  Isa.  2:3. 
In  April  1840,  Orson  Hyde  and  John  E.  Page,  both  Apostles, 
were  sent  from  Illinois  on  a  mission  to  Palestine,  to  bless  the  soil, 
that  its  barrenness  might  depart  and  the  way  be  opened  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Jews  to  their  ancient  homeland.  John  E.  Page 
faltered  and  fell  by  the  wav,  but  Orson  Hyde  accomplished  his  mis- 
sion. On  the  24th  of  October,  1841,  from  the  summit  of  the  Mount 
of  Olives,  overlooking  Jerusalem,  he  offered  to  the  God  of  Israel, 
a  fervent  and  eloquent  prayer  in  behalf  of  his  down-trodden  peo- 
ple. He  blessed  the  sterile  land  that  in  might  once  more  become 
fruitful,  and  that  Judah  might  repossess  his  heritage.  Elder  Hyde 
afterwards  predicted  that  the  British  nation  would  take  an  active 
part  in  the  redemption  of  Palestine ;  a  prophecy  fulfilled  during  the 
World  War.  In  1872,  President  George  A.  Smith  went  with  a 
party  from  Salt  Lake  City,  and  again  dedicated  the  Holy  Land 
for  the  return  of  the  Jews  and  the  rebuilding  of  Jerusalem. 


ARTICLE  TWENTY-THREE. 

The  Zion  of  Latter  Days. 

A  Work  of  Preparation.— The  Church  of  Jesus  Christ 
of  Latter-day  Saints  stands  for  the  gathering  of  the  House 
of  Israel  and  the  building  of  the  modern  Zion,  New  Jeru- 
salem, preparatory  to  the  Millennial  reign  of  righteous- 
ness. Israel  must  be  gathered,  because  it  is  the 
God  of  Israel  who  is  coming  to  reign,  and  the  descendants  of 
Jacob  are  the  only  people  who  have  the  right  to  receive  him 
when  he  appears.  And  they  must 'become  pure  in  heart, 
in  order  to  be  worthy  of  that  high  privilege. 

To  His  Own— The  Christ  is  coming  to  "his  own,"  as 
he  came  anciently;  but  it  will  not  be  said  again  that  "his 
own  received  him  not."  They  are  even  now  preparing  to 
receive  him,  as  fast  as  circumstances  will  allow.  All  of  "Mor- 
monism's"  varied  activities — proselyting,  migrational,  col- 
onizing, commercial,  industrial  and  educational — have  this 
as  their  paramount  objective.  The  Latter-day  Saints  claim 
Hneal  descent  from  the  Hebrew  patriarchs.  They  are  lit- 
erally of  the  seed  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and  Jacobs— mostly 
through  Ephraim,  the  "first-born"  in  the  divine  process  of 
gathering  Israel  and  bringing  forth  Zion. 

The  Ensign  Lifted.— It  devolved  upon  Joseph  Smith, 
a  lineal  descendant  of  Joseph  of  old,  to  begin,  upon  the  Land 
of  Joseph,  the  gathering  of  God's  people  from  the  nations. 
The  organization  of  the  Church  was  the  setting  up  of  the 
prophetic  "Ensign, "«  to  assemble  the  outcasts  of  Israel,  and 
gather  together  the  dispersed  of  Judah  from  the  four  cor- 
ners of  the  earth."     Joseph  lived  only  long  enough  to  as- 


a,  Isa.  11:12. 

12 


178  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

semble  a  portion  of  the  lialf  tribe  of  Ephraim,  to  which  he 
belonged ;  but  the  work  l)egun  by  him  will  go  on  until  all 
the  tribes  of  Israel  are  gathered,  and  the  way  is  fully  pre- 
pared for  the  blest  reign  of  the  King  of  Kings. 

Place  and  Plan. — The  Church,  organized  on  the  sixth 
of  April,  1830,  was  less  than  one  year  old  wdien  it  re- 
moved from  its  birth-place,  Fayette,  New  York,  to  Kirt- 
land,  Ohio,  where  its  infancy  was  cradled.  There  the  Prophet 
announced  the  place  for  the  New  Jerusalem  and  the  plan 
v;hereby  the  Holy  City  was  to  be  established.  Western 
Missouri  was  the  place.^  The  plan  became  known  as  "The 
United  Order. "^ 

The  Pure  in  Heart.— "This  is  Zion— the  pure  in 
heart."'^  So  said  Joseph  Smith.  For  Zion  is  not  only  a 
place ;  it  is  also  a  people  and  a  condition.  "Blessed  are  the 
pure  in  heart ;  for  they  shall  see  God."^  They  are  the  only 
ones  who  will  be  permitted  to  see  Him.  Zion  the  place  is 
where  Zion  the  people  will  assemble  for  that  pur])ose.  In  a 
general  sense,  the  whole  of  America,  North  and  South,  is  the 
Land  of  Zion.^  Specifically,  Zion,  "the  place  for  the  city," 
is  in  Jackson  County,  IMissouri.^ 

Consecration. — The  Zion  of  old — Enoch's  common- 
v.-ealth — was  sanctified,  and  translated  through  obedience  to 
the  Law  of  Consecration,^'  a  heaven-revealed  principle  sub- 
sequently practiced  by  the  followers  of  Christ,  both  Jews 
and    Nephites.'     The   modern   Zion,      "the     perfection      of 


b,  D.  &  C.  45:64-71;  57:1-4. 

c,  lb.   104:48. 

d,  lb.  97:21. 

e,  Matt.  5:8. 

f,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  6  pp.  318.  319. 

g,  D.  &  C.  57  :2. 
h,  Moses  7:18-21. 

i.  Acts  4:32-35;  4  Neplii  1:2,  3. 


THE  ZIOX  OF  LA  TTER  DA  VS  179 

beauty,"  "the  joy  of  the  whole  earth/"-'  is  to  be  brought 
forth  upon  precisely  the  same  principle — *'every  man  seeking 
the  interest  of  his  neighbor,  and  doing  all  things  with  an 
eye  single  to  the  glory  of  God.''^ 

Equality  and  Unity. — As  a  preliminary  to  the  won- 
derful achievement  in  prospect,  the  Latter-day  Saints  were 
required  to  consecrate  all  their  properties  to  the  Lord.  This 
was  done,  not  to  enrich  any  man  nor  any  set  of  men.  but 
to  establish  equality  in  material  possessions,  as  a  prerequi- 
site to  the  unity  and  power  necessary  for  the  mighty  under- 
taking. Equality — not  of  intelligence  and  capacity,  of 
course,  but  of  ownership  and  of  opportunity  to  advance  and 
achieve — this  was  the  purpose  in  view.  The  members  of 
the  community  were  to  be  equal  in  earthly  things, 
that  they  might  be  "equal  in  obtaining  1-ieavenly  things." 

A  Celestial  Law. — It  was  a  law  of  the  Celestial  King- 
dom— the  Zion  of  Eternity — that  the  Saints  were  required 
to  obey,  to  the  end  that  the  Lord's  will  might  be  done  on 
earth  even  as  it  is  done  in  heaven — that  Earth  might  be- 
come a  heaven,  in  fact,  and  they  who  made  it  so  be  prepare<l 
for  "a  place  in  the  celestial  world. "^ 

Stewardships. — It  was  not  proposed  to  take  from  the 
people  their  possessions,  and  demand  all  their  time  and 
service,  without  making  ample  provision  for  their  support. 
They  were  not  to  be  pauperized,  but  enriched,  through  obe- 
dience to  God's  law.  The  properties  they  consecrated — 
farms,  printing  offices,  mills,  work-shops,  money,  etc. — were 
to  be  returned  to  them  as  "stewardships,"  differing,  as  tal- 
ents, aptitudes,  and  the  ability  to  handle  much  or  little  dif- 
fer, but  all  to  be  managed  in  the  interest  of  the  common 
cause.     All  earnings  were  to  go  into  a  general  fund,  from 


;■.  Psalms  50:2:  AS:2. 
k.  D.  &  C.  82:19. 
/.  lb.  78:5-7. 


180  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTIOX 

which  each  steward  would  derive  a  maintenance,  "ever)-  man 
according  to  his  wants  and  his  needs,  inasmuch  as  his 
wants  are  just.'*"= 

First  Bishops. — The  introduction  of  this  system  w^as 
tl  e  occasion  for  the  call  of  the  first  Bishops.  The  men 
chosen  to  manage,  under  the  direction  of  the  First  Presi- 
dency, the  temporalities  of  the  United  Order,  were  Edward 
Partridge  and  Xewel  K.  Whitney.  The  former,  as  Bishop 
in  Zion.  received  consecrations  of  properties  and  assigned 
stewardships  at  Independence,  Missouri.  The  latter  officiated 
in  a  similar  capacity  at  Kirtland,  Ohio,  the  headquarters 
of  a  Stake  of  Zion/' 

Against  Lawlessness. — The  United  Order  did  not 
encourage  lawlessness.  It  was  the  very  antithesis  of  an- 
archy. It  stood  for  la^v  and  government,  for  wise  and 
good  government — the  government  of  God  for  the  benefit  of 
man.  Sounding  the  death-knell  of  monopoly,  fraud,  and 
the  misuse  of  power  and  privilege,  it  proposed  to  do  away 
with  class  distinctions,  founded  on  pride,  vanity  and  the 
worship  of  wealth.  It  would  abolish  such  conditions — not 
by  violence,  but  peacefully  and  by  common  consent.  Doc- 
trine, not  d^Tiamite :  humility,  not  self-assertion ;  love  of 
God  and  fellow  man.  not  hatred  and  strife,  were  to  ef- 
fect the  desired  emancipation.  Under  the  benign  influence 
of  the  Holy  Spirit — God's  gift  to  all  who  take  upon  them 
his  name — envy  and  greed  would  give  way  to  brotherly  love 
and  mutual  helpfulness. 

No  Drones  in  the  Hive. — While  philanthropic  in  the 
highest  degree,  the  United  Order  was  no  mere  alms-giving 
concern,  no  eleemosynar\-  institution.  Ever>-  member  of  the 
community  was  expected  to  work,  to  do  that  for  which  he 


m.  D.  &  C.  82:17. 
;i,  lb.  41:9:  72:8. 


THE  ZIOS  OF  LA  ITER  DA  VS  181 

or  she  might  best  be  fitted.  There  were  to  be  no  drones  in 
the  hive,  no  idleness  eating  the  bread  of  industry.  EmploT- 
ment  for  all,  a  place  for  everything  and  everything  in  its 
place — such  was  the  ideal  of  this  social-religious  organiza- 
tion. It  stood,  in  short,  for  justice  and  feir-dealing,  with 
every  man  in  the  secure  possession  and  full  enjoyment  of 
his  own.  Out  of  the  righteous  unity  resulting  from  this 
ideal  condition,  was  to  come  the  power  to  build  up  Zion  and 
prepare  the  way  of  the  Lord. 

Why  the  Ideal  Was  Not  Realized.— The  United  Order 
was  not  permanently  established :  nor  did  ita  original  work- 
ings long  continue-  Selfishness  within,  and  persecution 
without,  were  the  two-fold  cause.  The  Church,  drivai  from 
place  to  place,  found  it  impracticable,  with  an  imperfect  ac- 
ceptance by  its  members  of  the  Law  of  Consecratioo,  to 
bring  forth  Zion  at  that  early  day.  The  great  event,  how- 
ever, was  only  postponed.  The  realization  of  the  ideal  is 
still  in  prospect. 

The  Jackson  County  Expulsion — _\n  attempt  to  rear 
the  Xevs  Ter-s^'e-r:  -ra?  r-  -  '  '  -  ^— er  of  1831.  a  col- 
ony approxiniatin^  f:::tT  women  and  chil- 
dren, settling  ic'  :h^:  r ur^-ise  ir.  'i:-<Mr-  Iivinty.  Missoori.* 

upon  lands  purchased  from  the  Fe  ~ " -  '  "------■ ---.  Ground 

was  consecrated,  and  a  City  laic  -       e  site  for 

2  Temple.  But  a  lack  of  the  ?rr:  :  zitmry  zr.  the 

part  of  those  selected  for  this  sacrr  :  :^-      -  -     :- 

c&mplishment  at  that  time.  **There  were  . 

tentions.  and  envyings  and  strifes,  and  lustful  an :  ? 

desires  among  them :  therefore,  by  these  thine  ^    '  1 

their  inheritances."-*'      Forewame":!  V-  th?  ?r  ?.: 

would  result  if  these  evils  were  t  :.  the  cclrnists 


p,  lb.  101  .-6. 


182  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

did  not  as  a  whole  pay  sufficient  heed  to  the  admonition,  and 
the  Lord  permitted  their  enemies  to  come  upon  them  and 
drive  them  from  *'the  oroodly  land." 

Persecuted  and  Persecutors. — The  Jackson  County 
colonists,  whatever  their  faults,  were  superior  to  the  people 
who  mohbed  them  and  drove  them  from  their  homes,  mis- 
interpreting- their  motives  and  falsely  accusing  them  of  un- 
friendly acts  or  intentions  toward  the  earlier  settlers.  The 
persecuted  were  better  than  the  persecutors ;  but  not  goovl 
enoug-h  to  completely  carry  out  the  high  and  holy  pur- 
poses of  Deity.  It  was  in  the  autumn  of  1833  that  the 
"Mormon"  colony  was  expelled  from  Jackson  County.'? 

Zion  Not  Moved. — Then,  and  at  a  later  period,  when 
similar  and  worse  mobbings  and  drivings  had  taken  place, 
those  who  committed  or  countenanced  the  outrages  were 
wont  to  say  mockingly :  ''Whenever  the  Mormons  are  driven 
from  one  Zion,  their  Prophet  gets  a  revelation  appointing 
Zion  somewhere  else."  How  utterly  unfounded  this  as- 
sertion, is  best  told  in  the  language  of  a  revelation  given  a 
few  weeks  after  the  Jackson  County  expulsion.  Therein 
the  Lord  says : 

''Zion  shall  not  be  moved  out  of  her  place,  notwith- 
standing her  children  are  scattered ; 

"They  that  remain,  and  are  pure  in  heart,  shall  return, 
and  come  to  their  inheritances,  they  and  their  children, 
with  songs  of  everlasting  joy,  to  build  up  the  waste  places 
of  Zion.      .    .    . 

"And,  behold  there  is  none  other  place  appointed  than 
that  which  I  have  appointed;  neither  shall  there  be  any 
other  place  appointed  ...  for  the  work  of  the  gathering 
of  my  saints, 


q^  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1,  pp.  390,  426. 


THE  ZIOX  OF  LA TTER  DA  VS  183 

"Until  the  day  cometh  when  there  is  found  no  more 
room  for  them  ;  and  then  I  have  other  places  which  I  will 
appoint  unto  them,  and  they  shall  be  called  stakes,  for  the 
curtains  or  the  strength  of  Zion."'' 

Stakes  of  Zion.— Heai^  it,  ye  Gentiles!  Hear  it,  O 
House  of  Israel  I  Jackson  County,  ^Missouri,  is  the  chosen 
site  for  the  City  of  Zion.  No  other  place  has  been  or  will 
be  appointed  for  that  purpose.  All  other  gathering  places 
for  God's  people  are  Stakes  of  Zion,  holding  the  outside 
cords  and  curtains  of  the  spiritual  Tabernacle  of  the 
Lord. 

Zion's  first  Stake  was  at  Kirtland,  Ohio;  and  other 
stakes  were  organized  in  Missouri,  Illinois,  and  Iowa.  All 
these  have  been  abandoned ;  but  many  others,  since  estab- 
lished, now  flourish  in  the  region  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
There  was  no  stake  organization  in  Jackson  County, 
though  that  part  is  sometimes  referred  to  as  "The  Center 
Stake."  Zion  is  there,  or  will  yet  be  there — the  very  City 
of  God :  but  no  Stake  of  Zion.-^ 

In  Abeyance. — Zion  is  greater  than  any  of  her  Stakes. 
It  will  require  the  Law  of  Consecration  to  bring  forth 
Zion ;  while  a  lesser  law  suffices  for  the  creation  of  stakes, 
When  the  building  up  of  Zion  was  postponed,  the  Law  of 
Consecration   was   suspended,   and  the  Li^nited   Order  went 


;-,  D.  &  C.  101:17.  18,  20,  21;  115:6. 

s,  Zion,  in  sacred  writ,  is  symbolized  by  a  tent  or  portable  tab- 
ernacle, such  as  the  Israelites  carried  with  them  in  the  Wilderness. 
Evidently  it  was  the  custom  then,  as  it  is  now,  when  setting  up  a 
tent,  to  drive  stakes  and  fasten  cords  thereto — cords  stretched  from 
the  tent,  to  make  it  firm  and  secure.  Hence  the  phrase :  "Length- 
en thy  cords  and  strengthen  thy  stakes,'*  a  metaphor  applied  to  Zion 
by  the  Prophet  Isaiah.  (54:2;  33:20).  When  a  tent  is  erected,  no 
center  stake  is  driven;  it  would  be  in  the  way — an  obstacle  to 
stumble  over.  Figuratively  and  in  a  larger  sense,  the  same  would 
be  true  of  a  Center  Stake  of  Zion.  There  is  no  need  for  such  a 
thing,  and  it  would  spoil  the  symbolism  of  the  picture. 


184  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

into  abeyance.  Then  was  introduced  the  Law  of  Tithing/ 
a  law  adapted  to  the  undeveloped  condition  of  the  Church. 
Since  'that  time  the  work  of  founding  and  maintaining 
Stakes  of  Zion,  preparatory  to  the  coming  forth  of  Zion 
proper,  has  engrossed  the  attention  of  the  gathered  children 
of  Ephraim. 


/  D.  &  C.  119. 


ARTICLE  TWENTY-FOUR. 

Redemption  by  Power. 

To  Redeem  Zion. — The  failure  of  the  Latter-day 
Saints,  through  lack  of  unity  and  obedience,  to  l)uild  u;) 
Zion  in  Jackson  County,  has  been  dwelt  upon.  It  remains 
to  tell  of  an  effort  to  "redeem  Zion,"  to  reinstate  the  plun- 
dered people  upon  the  lands  of  which  they  had  been  un- 
lawfully and  violently  dispossessed.  This  effort  was  put 
forth  early  in  the  year  1834,  when  an  expedition  was  or- 
ganized in  Ohio  for  that  purpose. 

The  Zion's  Camp  Expedition. — So  was  it  styled.  The 
Camp  consisted  of  two  hundred  and  five  men.  led  by  Joseph 
Smith  in  person,  and  including  quite  a  number  of  Elders  sub- 
sequently called  to  positions  of  high  prominence  in  the 
Church.  The  expedition  failed  of  its  object — its  avowed  ob- 
ject— for  reasons  similar  to  those  which  had  caused  the  ex- 
pulsion from  Jackson  County.  Disobedience  and  rebellion 
on  the  part  of  some  members  of  the  Camp,  and  the  continued 
disregard,  by  many  of  the  exiles,  of  the  divine  requirements 
made  of  them,  prevented  their  restoration  to  the  homes  and 
possessions  of  which  they  had  been  despoiled. 

A  Want  of  Preparedness. — Zion  might  have  been  re- 
deemed, even  at  that  early  day,  had  the  redemptive  machin- 
ery been  ready  and  in  condition  to  do  the  necessary  work.'' 
But  such  a  condition  did  not  exist.  ''Gather  up  the  strength 
of  my  house,"  the  Lord  had  said  concerning  those  upon 
whom  he  proposed  to  lay  the  sacred  duty  of  Zion's  redemp- 
tion. But  "the  strength"  of  his  "house"  did  not  hearken  to 
the  appeal,^  and  the  few  who  enrolled  themselves  as  mem- 

a.  D.  &  C.  105:2. 

b,  lb.  103:30;  105:16. 


186  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

hers  of  that  historic  band  were  not  all  trained  for  the  task 
nor  equal  to  the  trials  that  lay  before  them. 

"The  Redemption  of  Zion  Must  Needs  Come  by 
Power."'^ — So  spake  the  Divine  Oracle.  But  ''power 
dwells  in  unity,  not  in  discord ;  in  humility,  not 
in  pride;  in  sacrifice,  not  selfishness;  in  obedience,  not 
rebellion."^  Had  all  the  Jackson  County  colonists  borne 
this  in  mind-  and  practiced  accordingly,  no  such  catastrophe 
as  that  which  occurred  would  have  befallen  them.  And  if 
all  who  went  to  their  relief  had  acted  consistently  with  the 
same  righteous  principle,  they  would  have  escaped  the  tribu- 
lation that  came  upon  them  as  a  chastisement. 

Transgression  the  Cause. — The  failure  to  build  the 
New  Jerusalem  was  due  to  transgression  ;^  in  other  words, 
to  a  lack  of  preparedness  on  the  part  of  those  selected  for 
the  sacred  undertaking.  Had  the  players  been  ready,  the 
p]ay  could  have  been  staged  and  presented.  But  nothing 
could  compensate  for  the  absence  of  readiness  on  their  part. 
There  is  no  substitute  for  the  qualitites  that  men  and  women 
must  possess  who  are  chosen  for  so  exalted  an  enterprise. 

All  Not  Responsible. — All  members  of  the  Church 
were  not  responsible  for  the  Jackson  County  failure  /  but  all 
had  to  share  in  the  consequences  entailed.  The  strength  of 
a  chain  is  proverbially  the  strength  of  its  weakest  link,  and 
the  general  average  of  the  newly-formed  and  inexperienced 
community  was  not  high  enough  to  justify  a  better  outcome. 

Not  a  Complete  Failure. — The  Camp  of  Zion  did  not 
utterly  fail.  Indeed,  there  are  good  reasons  for  believing 
that  it  accomplished  everything  expected  of  it  under  the 
circumstances.     And  if  this  be  true  of  the  members  of  the 


c,  D.  &  C.  103:15. 

d,  "Life  of  Heber  C.  Kimball,"  d.  77. 

e,  D.  &  C.  105 :  2,  9. 

f,  lb.  105  7. 


REDEMPTION  BY  POWER  187 

Camp,  it  is  also  true  of  those  whose  reHef  and  reinstatement 
were  the  announced  purpose  of  the  expedition. 

All  Things  Foreseen.— At  all  events,  what  occurred 
must  have  been  foreseen.  Divine  prescience  extends  to  all 
things  connected  with  the  Lord's  work.  When  He  com- 
manded his  people  to  build  the  New  Jerusalem,  he  knew  how 
much,  or  how  little,  they  were  capable  of  accomplishing 
in  that  direction— knew  it  just  as  well  before  as  he  did 
after.  Such  a  thing  as  surprise  or  disappointment  on  his 
part  is  inconceivable.  An  all-wise,  all-powerful  Being  who 
has  created,  peopled,  redeemed  and  glorified  ''millions  of 
earths  like  this,"^  is  not  one  to  be  astounded  by  anything  that 
happens  on  our  little  planet.^' 

The  Time  Not  Ripe.— The  All-knowing  One  knew  in 
advance  what  those  Zion-builders  would  do,  or  leave  un- 
done, and  he  shaped  his  plans  accordingly.  Evidently  the 
time  was  not  ripe  for  Zion's  redemption.  The  Saints  were 
not  ready  to  build  the  New  Jerusalem.  The  proof  is  in  the 
trespasses  committed  by  them  against  the  divine  laws  or- 
dc  ined  for  their  government. 

A  Season  of  Waiting.— 'Tn  consequence  of  the  trans- 
gression of  my  people,  it  is  expedient  in  me  that  mine  Elders 
should  wait  for  a  little  season  for  the  redemption  of  Zion.*' 
So  came  the  voice  of  the  Lord  to  Zion's  Camp,  on  Fish- 


e.  Moses  7:30. 

Vz,  Some  may  question  this  assertion,  and  pomt  to  the  passage, 
"It  repented  God  that  he  had  made  man"  (Gen.  6:6),  as  an  in- 
stance of  divine  disappointment.  But  it  should  be  borne  in  mmd 
that  makers  of  Scripture,  l5ke  all  wise  teachers,  adapt^  thair 
lancruage  to  the  comprehension  of  those  whom  they  teach,  speaking 
that  thev  "may  naturally  understand"  (D.  &  C  29:34;  19:6-12). 
Whatever  the  dead  letter  may  seem  to  say,  God  is  not  man,  that  He 
should  "repent"  (1  Sam.  15:29).  or  fail  to  foresee  how  his  crea- 
tures will  conduct  themselves.  It  was  Noah,  not  God,  who  "re- 
pented." in  the   case  now  under  consideration. — Moses   8:25. 


188  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

ing  River,  Missouri.  But  this  word  of  comfort  came  with 
it:  *'T  have  heard  their  prayers  and  will  accept  their  offer- 
ing's ;  and  it  is  expedient  in  me  that  they  should  be  brou,2:ht 
thus  far  for  a  trial  of  their  faith."* 

"A  Trial  of  Their  Faith."— Such  then,  was  the  real 
purpose  of  the  call  for  that  expedition.  More  was  not  ex- 
pected of  the  members  of  Zion's  Camp,  than  a  manifesta- 
tion of  willins^ness  to  do  all  that  the  Lord  might  require  of 
them. 

No  Endowments. — Another  proof  that  Zion's  redemp- 
tion was  not  intended  for  that  time,  is  found  in  another 
part  of  the  same  revelation :  "And  this  cannot  be  brought  to 
pass  until  mine  elders  are  endowed  with  power  from  on 
high."^'  Take  note  that  the  Church  had  no  "endowments" 
in  1834.  There  was  no  Temple  that  early,  and  the  sacre-d 
ritual  of  the  House  of  God,  even  if  revealed  to  the  Prophet, 
had  not  been  made  known  to  the  people.  Whether  this  was 
the  endowment  referred  to  in  the  revelation,  or  whether 
it  meant  something  else,  it  is  evident  that  the  blessing 
SDoken  of  was  in  the  future.* 

Zion  could  not  be  redeemed  until  the  Elders  were  "en- 
dowed with  power  from  on  High."  And  yet  these  same 
Elders,  unendowed,  had  been  sent  forth  to  redeem  Zion! 
Surely,  the  Lord  did  not  desisfn  it  then  to  be.  Else  would 
He  not  have  endowed  them  beforehand?  This  admitted, 
nnd  what  becomes  of  their  "failure?"  Thev  were  blame- 
v/orthv  for  their  disobedience,  but  surelv  not  for  their  failure 
to  do  what  could  not  be  done  bv  men  unendowed  and  con- 
<^er|uentlv  not  equal  to  the  undertaking. 

Left  to  the  Future. — ^Zion  was  not  redeemed  in  that 
dav  for  precisely  similar  reasons  to  those  which  kept  an- 


i.  D.  8:  C.  105:9,  19. 
i.  Tb.  V.  11. 
k.  Tb.  V.  IR. 


REDEMPTION  BY  POWER  189 

cieiit  Israel  wandering  for  forty  years  in  the  Wilderness, 
almost  within  sight  of  their  coveted  Canaan,  which  they 
were  not  permitted  in  that  generation  to  possess.'  Like 
Moses,  these  modern  pilgrims  beheld,  as  from  Pisgah's  top, 
their  promised  land.  Like  Moses,  on  account  of  transgres- 
sion, they  were  not  permitted  to  ''cross  over."  There  were 
Calebs  and  Joshuas,  in  the  Camp  who  were  worthy ;  but  the 
^reat  event,  in  the  wisdom  of  the  Highest,  was  not  destined 
then  to  be.  It  was  left  for  a  future  generation  and  its  Joshua 
to  go  up  in  the  might  of  the  Lord  and  redeem  Zion.'" 

**With  a  Stretched  Out  Arm."— The  Lord  made  it 
plain  to  His  people  that  they  must  prepare  themselves  for 
the  great  things  awaiting  them.  Before  they  could  hope  to 
accomplish  their  glorious  destiny,  they  must  become  mighty, 
not  only  in  numbers  and  material  influence,  but  morally  and 
spiritually  mighty— mighty  by  the  power  of  God,  descend- 
ing upon  them  as  an  endowment  from  on  High."  When 
ready  to  redeem  Zion,  the  way  would  be  prepared  for  them, 
angels  and  even  the  Divine  Presence  going  on  before.  They 
were  not  to  use  violence  to  secure  their  rights.  God  would 
fight  their  battles.  They  were  "the  children  of  Israel,  and 
of  the  seed  of  Abraham,"  and  ''must  needs  be  led  out  of 
bondage  by  power  and  with  a  stretched  out  arm."<^ 

Tried  and  Proven. — From  the  ranks  of  the  survivors 
of  Zion's  Camp — decimated  by  cholera  while  on  its  way  to 
Jackson  County — were  chosen  the  first  Twelve  Apostles 
and  the  first  quorums  of  Seventy  in  this  dispensation.^ 
These  men  were  deemed  reliable.  They  had  been 
put  to  the  test,  and  had  endured  valiantly  The  trial  of  their 
faith  was  complete. 


/,  Compare  Article  Eighteen,  paragraph  "A  Period  of  Prepara- 
tion." 

m,  D.  &  C  103 :  16. 

n,  lb.  105:11. 

0,  lb.  103:17. 

t>.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  2,  pp.  180,  201. 


190  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

Nigh  at  Hand. — When  will  end  the  "little  season"  of 
waiting?  \\'hen  will  the  day  of  Zion's  redemption  dawn? 
I  know  not ;  but  this  I  know.  That  day  is  rapidly  ap- 
proaching". The  Order  of  Unity  and  Equality,  involving  the 
consecration,  not  only  of  properties,  but  also  of  hearts  and 
hcUKls,  will  yet  be  established  and  perpetuated.  It  must  be. 
for  Zion  cannot  be  built  up  without  it  -.^  and  until  there  is  a 
ion  on  Earth,  the  Lord,  the  King  of  Kings,  will  not  come 


D.  &  C.  105:5. 


ARTICLE  TWENTY-FIVE. 

Clearing  the  Way. 

"I  Will  Fight  Your  Battles." — In  a  revelation,  already 
cited,  given  through  Joseph  the  Seer  while  Zion's  Camp  was 
rcstino-  on  Fishing-  River,  the  Lord  says  concerning  the 
Elders  of  his  Church: 

"I  do  not  require  at  their  hands  to  fight  the  battles  of 
Zion;  for.  as  I  said  in  a  former  commandment,  even  so 
will  I   fulfill.  I  will  fight  your  battles." 

"Behold,  the  destroyer  I  have  sent  forth  to  destroy  and 
lay  waste  mine  enemies ;  and  not  many  years  hence  they 
sJ-^all  not  be  left  to  pollute  mine  heritage  and  to  blaspheme 
my  name  upon  the  lands  which  I  have  consecrated  for  the 
gathering  together  of  my  Saints."'^ 

War  and  Deity. — There  are  many  good  people  who 
believe  that  anything  of  a  war-like  character,  anything  in- 
volving violence  and  bloodshed,  is  wholly  incompatible  with 
the  benign  disposition  and  benevolent  purposes  of  Deity. 
i\ccording  to  their  view%  God  has  nothing  to  do  with  wars. 
From  first  to  last  they  are  the  work  of  the  Evil  One,  mov- 
ing upon  wicked  men  to  stir  up  strife  for  selfish  and 
sordid  ends.  Everything  peaceful  and  pleasant  comes  from 
h'm  who  is  the  Prince  of  Peace ;  everything  of  an  opposite 
nature,  and  especially  war.  that  prolific  source  of  misery  and 
sorrow,  is  due  entirely  to  the  Adversary.  It  is  all  well 
meant,  of  course,  the  object  being  to  forefend  Deity  against 
the  reproach  that  these  good  people  fear  would  lie  at 
his  door,  if  it  were  admitted  that  he  had  even  a  share  in 
what  they  conceive  to  be  an  unmixt  evil,  a  thing  ab- 
solutely wrong  and  unjustifiable. 


(/.  D.  &  C.  105:14,  15. 


192  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

.But  how  can  such  views  be  reconciled  with  divine 
revelation  and  the  history  of  God's  dealings  with  man? 
If  war  is  always  wicked,  and  destruction  ever  at  vari- 
ance with  the  w^ill  and  purposes  of  Providence,  how  are 
v/e  to  understand  such  passages  of  scripture  as  the  fore- 
going, wherein  Jehovah,  who  is  no  other  than  Jesus,  the 
meek  and  merciful,  assures  his  servants  that  he  will  fight 
their  battles,  and  assumes  full  responsibility  for  sending 
forth  the  destroyer  to  lay  waste  his  enemies  and  theirs? 

Prince  of  Peace  and  Lord  of  Hosts. — The  problem, 
seemingly  complex,  is  in  reality  simple  and  easy  of  solu- 
tion. There  are  two  sides  to  the  Divine  Character,  two 
distinct  and  differing  phases  of  God's  dealings  with  mor- 
tals. The  Lion  as  well  as  the  Lamb  plays  a  part  in  the 
stirring  drama  of  human  progress.  The  same  perfect  Being 
who  counseled  patience,  charity,  and  the  turning  of  "the 
other  cheek,"  sternly  rebuked  hypocrisy,  denounced 
wickedness  in  unmeasured  terms,  and  with  wrathful  speech 
and  thong  of  knotted  cords,  drove  the  thieving  money- 
changers from  the  Temple.  "Blessed  are  the  merciful,"  said 
tlie  Author  of  the  Beatitudes.^  "Love  your  enemies,"  en- 
joined the  Redeemer  of  the  World.*^  But  already  He  had 
proclaimed :  "Vengeance  is  mine — •!  will  repay  ;"'^  and 
that  high  decree  has  never  been  revoked.  Jehovah  is  both 
Prince  of  Peace  and  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  Sabaoth. 
These  are  among  the  titles  belonging  to  him.  Why  are 
they  his,  if  he  has  nothing  to  do  with  war — if  such  things 
are  independently  and  exclusively  the  work  of  Satan? 

Providence  Over  All. — The  student  of  this  problem 
must  not  lose  sight  of  the  fact  that  Satan's  sphere,  like 
man's,    is    limited.    Neither    can    do    more    than;   the    Most 

b,  Matt.  5  :7. 

c    lb.  5  :44 ;  Luke  6 :27,  35. 

d,  Rom.  12:19;  Deut.  32:35. 


CLEARING  THE  ]VAY  ^  193 

High  is  willing  should  be  done;  and  his  willingness  ex- 
knds  only  to  such  things  as  contribute,  ultimately  if  not 
immediately,  to  the  carrying  out  of  his  beneficent  designs. 
The  Book  of  Job  is  very  plain  upon  this  point.  Only  so 
far  as  the  Almighty  would  permit,  and  it  was  deemed  wise 
for  that  righteous  man  to  be  afflicted,  in  order  to  test 
his  integrity,  further  develop  the  excellence  of  his 
character,  and  endow  future  ages  with  a  deathless  example 
of  godlike  patience— only  so  far  was  Satan  allowed  to  go. 
He  seemed  to  be  having  his  own  way  with  Job,  and  up  to 
a  certain  mark  did  have  it :  but  nothing  beyond.  The  Lord 
had  his  way.  Whatever  he  bade  Satan  not  to  do.  Satan  had 
to  leave  undone. 

The  Uses  of  Adversity.— Job's  case  is  a  reminder  of 
the  fact  that  the  wicked  can  be  used  as  a  means  of  de- 
veloping and  improving  the  righteous,  or  of  chastising 
and  correcting  people  better  than  themselves.  The  pain"^ 
ful  experiences  of  the  Latter-day  Saints  furnish  manv 
cases  in  point.  In  ^lissouri,  for  instance,  thev  were  the 
victims  of  atrocious  wrongs.  They  had  done  nothing,  so 
far  as  their  fellow  men  were  concerned,  to  justifv  the  cruel 
treatment  meted  out  to  them.  But  the  Lord,  in  order  to 
chasten  his  people  and  teach  them  wholesome  lessons  that 
tliey  needed  to  learn,  allowed  their  enemies  to  drive  and 
despoil  them.^ 

Divinity  Always  Supreme.— Despite  all  appearances 
to  the  contrary,  the  Divine  \\\\\  reigns  supreme.  To  con- 
clude otherwise  is  to  mentally  dethrone  Deity,  and  allow 

e.  Job  saw  the  matter  in  a  clear  light  (2:10).  He  did  not 
charge  Deit.y  with  the  authorshio  of  evil— evil  as  well  as  coo  I 
being  self-existent.  He  knew  that  God  is  a  hater  of  iniquitv  (Pstlms 
45./.  Heb.  1  .9)  ;  but  he  also  knew  that  evil  is  controlled  bv  the  di- 
vine ruler  and  n^ade  tributary  to  the  success  of  his  plans'  There- 
Lord  u  IWll-^''  '"  ^^ould_  do-he  acknowledged  the' hand  o  the 
Lord  in^all  things,  in  adversity  as  well  as  prosperity. 


l'^4  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

lliat  Evil  is  stronger  than  Good.  God  is  above  Satan,  and 
liolds  him  in  leash/ 

Destruction  Essential. — We  are  not  to  suppose,  how- 
ever, tliat  the  Lord  dchghts  in  war — that  He  prefers  it  to 
]Kace;  or  that  he  would  have  aught  to  do  with  strife 
and  devastation,  if  his  good  and  wise  purposes  conld  al- 
ways be  accomplished  by  other  and  milder  means.  But 
if  strife  becomes  necessary,  and  destruction  essential,  as 
when  an  old  building  is  torn  down  to  make  room  for  a 
new  one,  and  if  the  All-wise  be  the  doer  or  director  of  the 
deed,  who  can  cjuestion  its  rightfulness?  "Shall  the  axe 
boast  itself  against  him  that  heweth  therewith?  Or  shall 
the  saw  magnify  itself  against  him  that  shaketh  it?"^' 

Wars  Decreed. — "I  have  sworn  in  my  wrath  and  de- 
creed wars  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  and  the  wicked  shall 
slay  the  wicked. ''''  So  says  the  Almighty  to  his  servant 
Joseph.  And  there  lies  the  problem  in  a  nutshell.  God  has 
"decreed  wars" — decreed  them  for  a  purpose.  Human 
iniquity  brings  down  divine  retribution,  and  the  wicked 
are  permitted  to  slay  one  another — partly  as  a  pnnishment 
for  their  sins,  but  mainly  to  help  clear  the  way  for  a  higher 
and  better  order  of  things. 

Just  and  Unjust  Wars. — ^Michael  and  the  Dragon. — 
Some  wars  are  righteous  and  just;  others  v/rong  and  un- 
just. All  dc])cnds  upon  the  ptirpose  for  which  they  are 
waged,  and  whether  or  not  the  Lord  sanctions  them.  All 
unrighteous  wars  are  the  work  of  Satan  and  his  minions. 


/'.  President  Woodruff,  in  liis  Brigham  City  address,  June  24, 
1894, — an  address  already  cited  in  these  pages — speaks  thus  of  the 
Latter-day  judgments:  "God  has  held  the  angels  of  destruction  for 
many  years,  lest  they  should  reap  down  the  wheat  with  the  tares. 
Ilut  I  want  to  tell  you  now,  that  these  angels  have  left  the  portals  of 
Heaven,  and  they  stand  over  this  people  and  this  nation  now,  wait- 
ing to  pour  out  the  judgments." 

?.  Isa.  10:15. 

h,  D.  &  C.  63:33. 


CLEARING  THE  WAY  195 

Put  all  wars  are  not  unrighteous.  When  Michael  and  his 
angels  fought  against  the  Dragon,  and  overcame  him.' 
surely  the  fight  was  a  righteous  one  on  Michael's  part.  As 
for  the  ])rnvocation— that  springs  another  question.  It  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  there  would  have  been  no  "war  in 
heaven,"  if  Lucifer  had  not  rebelled;  but,  having  re- 
belled, he  had  to  be  put  down,  and  a  righteous  war  was 
v/aged  for  that  purpose.  The  conduct  of  those  who  make 
^uch  wars  necessary,  is  not  tO'  be  compared  with  the  nrts 
of  those  who  rise  up  to  vindicate  right  and  vanquish  wrong". 
Agnostic  Arguments.— Joshua's  conquest  of  Canaan 
—let  us  consider  that.^"  Agnostic  writers,  taking  the  view 
that  all  such  wars  are  wicked,  affect  to  regard  this  event 
as  a  grave  crime.  They  brand  Joshua  as  a  murderer,  and 
charge  Jehovah  with  being  a  violator  of  his  own  statutes— 
a  greater  murderer,  m  short,  who,  after  punishing  the  first 
slayer  of  his  fellow  man,  the  fratricidal  Cain,^'  and  laying 
down  tlie  law  to  Noah,  "Whoso  sheddeth  man's  blood,  by 
man  shall  his  blood  be  shed."^— emphasizing  it  lacer  with 
the  commandment,  "Thou  shalt  not  kill""^— directed  the 
general  of  his  armies  to  commit  wholesale  slaughter  and 
extermination.  Therefore  was  he  a  murderer  and  a  law- 
breaker. Such  is  the  logic  of  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  and 
other  writers  of  his  class. 

And  v^hat  a  wretched  piece  of  sophistry  it  is.  How 
utterly  shallow  and  vain.  As  if  the  Giver  of  Hfe  could  not 
take  back  what  he  had  given— the  right  to  it  having  been 
forfeited— without  committing  a  crime!  As  if  the  Author 
and  Ruler  of  the  universe  could  not  repeal  or  suspend  one 
of  his  own.  enactnjents,  without  being  a  law-breaker!  Think 

/.  Rev.  12:7-9. 
/,  Toshua  ]-12. 
k,  Gen.  4:11,  12. 
/.  lb.  9:6. 
VI.  Ex.  20:13. 


196  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

of  it :  Colonel  Ingcrsoll,  an  experienced  lawyer,  a  prac- 
titioner and  devotee  of  the  science  of  jurisprudence,  deny- 
ing to  the  great  Law-Giver  a  right  inherent  in  and  ex- 
ercised by  the  humblest  legislative  body  on  earth !  To  such 
illogical  extremes  will  men  g^o,  when  they  presume  to  pass 
judgment  upon  Providence. 

The  Case  of  the  Canaanites. — Joshua's  war  upon  the 
Canaanites  was  a  just  war,  designed  to  rid  the  earth  of 
a  corrupt  generation,  which  had  forfeited  its  right  to 
longer  remain,  encumbering  the  soil,  particularly  that  part 
which  the  Creator  and  Owner  of  the  planet  had  given  to 
a  worthier  people.  Jehovah's  command  to  clear  the  ground 
upon  which  he  proposed  erecting  a  national  structure  that 
should  stand  as  a  temple  of  wisdom  and  light  for  the 
welfare  of  all  succeeding  generations,  did  not  impinge 
u])on  any  command  of  his  previously  given.  Neither  is 
the  Divine  One  amenable  to  human  judgment.  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill"  was  a  commandment  froDi  God,  not  to  him.  His 
word  is  superior  to  all  human  enactments  and  to  all  man's 
notions  of  right  and  wrong.  The  war  waged  by  Joshua  and 
the  hosts  of  Israel  against  the  wicked  and  usurping  Canaa- 
nites was  in  every  respect  justifiable,  so  far  as  it  was  con- 
ducted according  to  Jehovah's  command." 

'•The  King  Can  Do  No  Wrong."— This  proverb,  when 
used  by  corrupt  rulers  to  justify  and  cloak  their  crimes, 
is  flagrantly  false  and  pernicious.  When  applied  to  the 
King  of  Heaven,  it  is  eminently  and  unquestionably  true. 
The  Author  of  life  can  send   forth  the  destroyer  and   lay 

;/.  The  same  ma}-  be  said  of  Israel's  war  upon  the  Amalekites,  in 
the  days  of  King  Saul,  and  of  similar  wars  undertaken  by  "the 
armies  rf  the  livirg  God,"  heaven-directed  and  divinely  em- 
powered. Samuel's  hewing  of  Agag  "in  pieces  before  the  Lord."  was 
not  a  crime,  but  an  act  of  justice,  a  righteous  retribution  upon  an 
unrighteous  ruler,  whose  sword  had  "made  women  childless.' — 
1.  Sam.  15:33. 


CLEARING  THE  WAY  197 

waste  his  enemies,  without  blood-guiltiness  or  even  the 
shadow  of  wrong-doing.  lie  can  decree  wars,  and  allow  the 
wicked  to  slay  the  wicked,  without  partaking  of  their  evil 
deeds  or  making  himself  responsible  for  their  demon-in- 
spired atrocities.  These  must  all  be  accounted  for  at  the 
bar  of  Eternal  Justice. 

The  American  Revolution. — It  was  not  Satan  who 
caused  the  heroic  struggle  of  the  American  colonies,  giv- 
ing them  power  to  win  their  freedom  and  independence, 
to  the  end  that  a  nation  might  arise  upon  this  chosen  soil 
with  a  mission  to  foster  and  protect  the  infant  and  growing 
Church  of  Christ.  That  was  a  righteous  war,  and  the  divine 
inspiration  for  it  rested  upon  the  Patriot  Fathers.^  who, 
at  the  hazard  of  their  lives,  signed  the  immortal  Declara- 
tion, and  drew  their  swords  to  defend  and  perpetuate  that 
sublime  annunciation  of  liberty  and  equal  rights. 

The  World  War. — So  with  the  great  war  that  over- 
threw the  German  Kaiser,  putting  an  end  to  the  wicked 
strife  that  he  was  waging.  It  was  a  righteous  against  an 
unrighteous  exertion  of  military  force.  What  better  mo- 
tive could  a  nation  have  than  that  which  actuated  the 
American  people  in  sending  forth  their  armies  and  navies  to 
check  the  on-rushing  hordes  that  were  bent  upon  crush- 
ir-g  freedom  and  setting  an  iron  heel  on  the  neck  of  the 
world?  It  was  a  holy  war.  so  far  as  America  was  con- 
cerned; and  a  just  war,  a  war  of  self-defense,  .-on  the 
part  of  her  associated  powers.  The  God  of  Justice  was 
in  it  for  the  welfare  of  humanity.  Who  can  doubt  that 
He  upheld  and  sustained  the  arms  of  those  wdio  carried  it 
to  a  victorious  conclusion?  And  if  the  result. shall  be  even 
a  partial  clearing  of  the  way  for  the  introduction  or  further 
spread  of  Liberty's  Perfect  Law  among  spiritually  be- 
nighted nations,  the  mightiest  and  costliest  of  earth's  con- 
flicts will  not  have  been  in  vain. 

0,  1  Nephi  13:16-19. 


ARTICLE   TWKNTY-SIX, 
God's  Hand  Upon  the  Nations. 

Compelling  Situations.— The  Lord  will  force  no  man 
to  Heaven,  nor  pevniit  Satan  to  force  any  nian  to  Hell. 
Human  agency  remains  inviolate.  Bnt  while  there  is  no 
such  thing  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ  as  compulsion,  in  the 
sense  of  fettering  man's  free  will,  there  is  such  a  thing  as 
a  compelling  situation,  the  creating  of  conditions  and 
shaping  of  circumstances  that  have  often  influenced  men 
to  do,  of  their  own  volition,  what  they  would  not  have 
done  if  the  situation  had  not  changed.  ;f  .mch  conditions 
and  circumstances  had  not  arisen. 

A  simple  illustration  is  furnished  in  the  old-time 
anecdote  of  the  boy  up  the  farmer's  apple  tree — refusing 
to  come  down  when  kindly  requested ;  persisting  in  In's 
refusal  when  sharply  reprimanded  and  a  handful  of  turf 
thrown;  but,  when  pelted  with  stones,  scrambling  down  in 
a  hurry — of  his  own  accord.  That  is  my  idea  of  a  com- 
pelling situation ;  the  offender  retaining  his  freedom,  exer- 
cising his  right  of  choice,  but  yielding  to  force  of  cir- 
cumstances, and  changing  his  mind  for  his  own  behoof. 

"There's  a  divinity  that  shapes  our  ends, 
Rough  hew  them  as  w.e  will." 

The  Parable  of  the  Supper. — Force,  indirect  compul- 
sion, 'applied  without  infringing  upon  man's  agency,  is 
imdoubtedly  an  element  of  the  divine  economy.  What  else 
is  the  meaning  of  the  Savior's  parable  in  which  he  likens 
the  Kingdom- of  Heaven  to  a  feast? 

"A  certain  man  made  a  great  supper,  and  bade 
many: 


COD'S  HAND  UPON  THE  NATIONS  199 

"And /sent  his  servant  at  supper-time,  to  say  to  them 
that  were  liidden.  Come,   for  all  thini^s  are  now   ready. 

"And  they  all  with  one  consent  be.c^an  to  make  ex- 
cuse. The  first  ;«aid  unto  him,  I  have  boui^ht  a  piece  of 
ground,  and  T  must  needs  ^'o  and  see  it:  I  pray  thee  have 
n.e  excused, 

"And  another  said,  I  have  bought  five  yoke  of  oxen, 
an_d   T  go  to  prove  them :   I  pray  thee  have  me  excused. 

"y\nd  another  said.  I  have  married  a  wife:  and  there- 
fore I  cannot  come. 

"So  that  servant  came,  and  showed  his  lord  these 
things.  Then  the  master  of  the  house,  being  angry,  said 
to  his  servant.  Go  out  quickly  into  the  streets  and  lanes 
of  the  city,  and  bring  in  hither  the  poor,  and  the  maimed, 
and  the  halt,  and  the  blind. 

"And  the  servant  said,  Lord,  it  is  done  as  thou  hast 
commanded,  and  yet  there  is  room. 

"And  the  .'lord  said  unto  the  servant.  Go  out  into  the 
highways  and  hedges,  and  compel  them  to  come  in,  that 
my  house  may  be  filled."'^ 

The   inference   is,   that  they   were   "compelled  to   come 
in,"  but  not  against  their  ow^n  freedom  of  choice. 

Fishers  and  Hunters.— The  God  of  Israel  has  set  his 
hand  to  gather  his  elect  and  prepare  the  v^orld  for  the 
sanctifying  reign  of  righteousness.  He  will  accomplish 
what  he  has  undertaken,  using  for  that  purpose  every  means 
consistent  and  available.  Christ  died  to  save  the  souls  of 
men,  and  save  them  He  will — by  mild  measures  whenever 
these  will  avail ;  but  by  stern  methods,  if  necessary,  after  tlie 
mild  have  proved  ineffectual.  First,  the  "fishers,"  with 
gentle,  kind  persuasion.  Then  the  "hunters" — war,  com 
motion  and  destniction.  Such  is  the  divine  program.'' 


a,  Luke  14:16-23. 
b,]^r.  16:16. 


2C0  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITL'TIOX 

The  Day  of  Wrath — A  Refuge  From  the  Storm. — 
Joseph  the  Seer  prophesied  that  war  would  "be  poured  out 
upon  all  nations."  Zion.  the  pure  in  heart,  are  to  "be  the 
only  people  that  'shall  not  be  at  war  one  with  another." 
"And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  among  the  wicked,  that  ever\- 
man  that  will  not  take  his  sword  against  his  neighbor,  must 
needs  flee  unto  Zion  for  safety.'**^  To  provide  against 
[hese  and  other  perils,  the'Giurch  of  Christ  was  founded — 
"a  standard  for  the  nations,"  "that  the  gathering  together 
upon  the  land  of  Zion  and  upon  her  stakes,"  might  be 
"for  a  defense,  and  for  a  refuge  from  the  storm,  and  from 
wrath  when  it  shall  be  poured  out  without  mixture  upon 
the  whole  earth. "^ 

Other  Judgments. — But  war  is  not  the  only  expres- 
sion of  divine  wrath.  The  strife  of  nation  against  nacion 
is  but 'one  of  many  turmoils  that  the  last  days  are  destined 
tc  witness.  Epidemics  of  sickness  are  to  play  a  part  in  the 
great  retribution.^  John  on  Patmos  heard  a  voice  from 
Heaven  say :  ''Come  out  of  her,  my  people,  that  ye  re- 
ceive not  of  her  plagues.''^  Through  Joseph  in  America, 
the  same  dread  oracle  proclaimed  "a  desolating  scourge," 
that  "shall  go  forth  among  the  inhabitants  of  the  earth, 
and  shall  continue  to  be  poured  out  from  time  to  time  if 
they  repent  not.  until  the  earth  is  empty  and  the  inhabi- 
tants thereof  are  consumed  away  and  utterly  destroyed 
by  the  brightness  of  my  coming."'' 

Divine  Participation. — And  who,  after  reading  what 
follows,  can  doubt  divine  participation   in  these  troubles : 


c.  D.  &  C.  S7  :2. 

d.  lb.  45  :68,  69. 

e.  Tb.  115:4-6. 

f.  lb.  45:31.     "An  overflowing  scourge — a  desolating  sickness/' 
to  "cover  the  land." 

^.  Rev.  18:4. 

h.  D.  &  C  5:19. 


GOD'S  HAXD  UPOX  THE  XATIOXS  201 

■'For  I  the  Almighty  have  laid  my  hand  upon  the  nations  to 
scourge  them  for  their  wickedness;  and  plagues  shall  go 
forth,  and  they  shall  not  be  taken  from  the  earth  until 
I  have  completed  my  work,  which  shall  be  cut  short  in 
righteousness.  Until  all  fshall  know  me,  who  remain,  even 
from  the  least  unto  the  greatest,  and  shall  be  filled  with  the 
knowledge  of  the  Lord  and  -hall  see  eye  'to  eye."* 

After  Testimony,  Indignation. — The  Lord's  servants 
were  "to  go  forth  among  the  Gentiles  for  the  last  time." 
**to  bind  up  the  law  and  seal  up  the  testimony,"  and 
"prepare   the   Saints    for   the   hour   of   judgment." 

"And  after  your  testimony  cometh  wrath  and  in- 
dignation upon  the  people. 

"For  after  your  testimony  cometh  the  testimony  of 
earthquakes  that  shall  cause  groanings  in  the  midst  of 
her,  and  men  shall  fall  upon  the  ground  and  shall  not  be 
able  to  stand. 

"And  also  cometh  the  testimony  of  the  voice  of 
thunderings  and  the  voice  of  lightnings,  and  the  voice  of 
tempests,  and  the  voice  of  the  waves  of  the  sea,  heavmg 
themselves  beyond  their  bounds. 

"And  all  things  shall  be  in  commotion:  and  surelv, 
men's  hearts  shall  fail  them;  for  fear  shall  come  upon  all 
people."^' 

Again:  'The  earth  shall  tremble  and  reel  to  and  fro 
as  a  drunken  man:  and  the  sun  shall  hide  his  face,  and 
shall  refuse  to  give  light,  and  the  moon  shall  be  bathed 
in  blood,  and  the  stars  shall  become  exceeding  angry, 
and  shall  cast  themselves  down  as  a  fig  that  falleth  from 
off  a  fig  tree."^ 

The  Question  of  Cause.— Who  will  cause  these  ter- 


/.  D.  &  C.  84 :96-98. 
/,  lb.  88:88-91. 
")t,  lb.  88:87. 


202  THE  ERA  OF  RESTITUTION 

rible  calamities?  Not  man— that  is  certain;  though  his  con- 
duct may  justify  them.  Men  can  stir  up  strife  and  pre- 
cipitate war.  They  can  even  bring  pestilence  and  famine.  But 
they  cannot  stir  up  tempests  and  earthquakes,  cause  whirl- 
winds and  tidal-waves,  or  govern  the  action  of  sun,  moon 
and  stars.  These,  with  other  convulsions  of  nature,  no  less 
than  war,  famine  and  pestilence,  are  among  God's  judg- 
ments upon  the  workers  of  iniquity.  Satan,  ''prince  of  the 
powers  of  the  air,"  may  be  immediately  responsible  for 
these  fearful  disturbances;'  but  he  can  do  only  what  he 
is  permitted  to  do  by  the  All-just  and  All-merciful,  who 
looses  him  or  holds  him  in  check. 

The  Divine  Purpose. — And  what  is  the  purpose — the 
ultimate  purpose  of  it  all?  Destruction?  No,  a  thousand  times 
no,  except  in  so  far  as  destruction  must  at  times  precede  re- 
construction, and  is  necessary  to  preserve  what  is  worth 
preserving.  The  world's  welfare  is  the  object  in  view.  God's 
wrath,  however  fiercely  it  burns,  is  not  comparable  to 
petty  human  anger.  His  work  and  his  glory  is  "to  bring  to 
pass  the  immortality  and  eternal  life  of  man,"'"  and  if,  in 
the  process.  He  uses  the  powers  of  destruction,  as  well 
as  the  powers  of  contruction — for  ''all  power"  is  his,  "in 
■heaven  and  in  earth"" — it  is  because  such  a  course  has  be- 
come necessary  and  is  for  the  best.  However  severe  his 
chastisements,  we  can  rest  assured  of  this :  Hatred  of  hu- 
manity has  no  place  in  the  heart  of  Him  who  ''so  loved  the 
world"  that  he  "gave  his  Only  Begotten  Son"  to  save  it 
from  eternal  damnation. 

Why  Calamities  Come. — ^Calamities  do  not  come  up- 
on the  world  merely  to  scourge  the  wicked  and  avenge  the 
Avrongs  of  the  righteous.  The  primal  aim  of  Divine  Punish- 


/.  Job  1:19. 

;;/.   Moses   1 :39. 

n,  Matt.  28:18. 


COD'S  HAND  UPON  THE  NATIONS  203 

ment  is  to  purify,  and  if  possible  save  those  upon  whom 
the  "Great  Aveng-er"  lays  a  chastening  hand.  The  object 
i,^  to  bring-  sinners  to  repentance,  to  throw  down  the  bar- 
riers that  prevent  men  from  coming  to  Christ,  and  turn 
into  the  upward  path  those  bent  upon  pursuing  the  down- 
ward road.  The  Gospel  saves  all  who  are  willing  to  be 
saved,  and  who  show  their  willingness  by  their  obedience, 
their  faith  by  their  works.  It  also  aims  to  save  the  unwlll- 
ii\g  and  disobedient — here  if  possible,  and  if  not  here, 
t'le;!  hereafter.  Wars  and  other  woes  are  sent  to  put  a 
stop  to  men's  evil  practices,  lest  they  add  sin  to  sin  and 
p/ile  up  guilt  to  their  greater  condemnation.  To  be  swept 
off  tlie  earth  and  ministered  to  in  the  spirit  world,  is 
not  the  worst  fate  that  can  befall  the  wicked.  Omnipo- 
ten.ce  wields  the  powers  of  destruction  in  such  a  way  as 
to  make  of  them  instruments  of  salvation.  It  may  seem 
cruel,  but  in  reality  it  is  kind. 

Safety  With  The  Priesthood.— The  Almighty  does 
not  hurl  the  shafts  of  affliction  against  the  righteous, 
especially  against  helpless  innocence;  but  in  pursuance  of 
his  benevolent  designs,  and  to  effect  the  greatest  good  to 
the  greatest  number.  He  permits  the  destroyer  to  exercise 
his  agency  in  a  world  where  good  and  bad,  old  and  young, 
alJ  classes  and  all  qualities,  dewll.  Some  of  the  woes  thus 
launched  fall  partly  upon  the  choicest  of  God's  children,  un- 
less faith  be  there— as  doubtless  He  intends— faith 
and  the  power  of  the  Priesthood,  to  intervene  for  their 
in-eservation.  "The  just  shall  live  by  faith."  it  is  written, 
and  the  Priesthood  is  a  shield  to  those  who  bear  it  and 
to  those  w^ho  honor  its  possessors." 


o.  Said  President  Woodruff,  in  his  address  upon  the  judgments: 
"Can  you  tell  me  where  the  people  are  who  will  be  shielded  and  pro- 
tected from  these  great  calamities?  I'll  tell  you:  The  priesthood 
otGod  who  honor  their  priesthood,  and  who  are  worthy  of 
their  blessings.     ...    No  other  people  have  a  right  to  be  shielded 


204  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

The  Chastening  of  the  Lord. — "My  son,"  says  the 
ancient  \\'ise  INTan,  ''despise  not  the  chastening  of  the 
Lord;  neither  he  weary  of  his  correction:  For  whom  the 
Lord  loveth,  he  correcteth ;  even  as  a  father  the  son  in 
whom  he  dehghteth."^  Bearing  in  mind  this  sapient  ad- 
monition, let  ns  not  be  doubtful  of  the  Divine  Purpose  in 
sen-ding  forth  the  destroyer,  whether  in  the  shape  of  war, 
pestilence  and  famine,  partly  caused  by  human  agency : 
01  in  earthquakes,  cyclones,  and  other  fierce  convulsions, 
over  which  man  has  absolutely  no  control.  They  are  all 
phases  of  'The  Battle  of  the  Great  God,"*?  intent  upon 
clearing  the  way  for  the  coming  of  the  Perfect  One, 
]>ringing  order  out  of  chaos,  overthrowing  wrong  and 
establishing  right,  to  the  end  that  the  human  race  may 
be  permanently  blest  and  the  righteous  possess  in  peace 
the  heritage  prepared  for  them  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world. 


from  these  judgments.  They  are  at  our  very  doors;  not  even 
this  people  will  escape  them  entirely.  They  will  come  down  like 
the  judgments  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  and  none  hut  the  priest- 
hood  will  he  safe   from  their  fury." 

The  President  meant,  no  doubt,  to  include  in  this  reference 
those  who  follow  the  servants  of  the  Lord  and  are  guided  by  their 
counsels.  He  was  speaking  to  a  general  congregation,  and  said, 
in  addition  to  the  words  just  quoted:  *Tf  you  do  your  duty,  and  i 
do  my  duty,  we  shnll  have  protection,  and  shall  pass  through  tlie 
afflictions  in  peace  and  safety." 

p,  Prov.  3:12. 

q,  D.  &  C.  88:114. 


ARTICLE    TWENTY-SEVEN. 
The  Consummation. 

Time,  mighty  daughter  of  Eternity! 
Mother  of  ages  and  of  aeons  past ! 
Assemble  now  thy  children  at  thy  side, 
And  ere  thou  diest  teach  them  to  be  one. 
Link  to  its  link  rebind  the  broken  chain 
Of  dispensations,  glories,  keys  and  powers, 
From  Adam's  fall  unto  Messiah's  reign — 
A  thousand  years  of  rest,  a  day  with  God, 
While  Shiloh  reigns,  and  Kolob  once  revolves. a 

Gathering  the   Gatherers. — The   Dispensation  of  the 

I'ulness  of  Times  is  distinctively  a  gathering  dispensa- 
tion. Bnt  it  stands  for  more — far  more  than  the  assem- 
bling of  the  dispersed  House  of  Israel.  It  is  the  spiritual 
hr;rvest-time  of  all  the  ages,  the  long-heralded  Era  of 
Restitution,^  when  the  great  Garnerer  of  "all  things  in 
Christ"  will  reveal  himself  in  power  and  glory,  and  place 
the  capstone  on  the  temple  of  heaven-inspired  human 
achievement.  The  gathering  of  Israel  is  only  the  preface 
to  the  book,  only  the  prologue  to  the  play.  The  gathering 
of  the  gatherers— such  is  the  meaning  of  the  preliminary 
work  now  in  progress,  a  work  in  which  Gods,  angels  and 
men  have  joined. 

The  Final  Development.— This  great  era  of  restora- 
tion was  made  necessary  by  the  departure  of  the  Christian 
word  from  the  faith  delivered  to  the  former-day  Saints. 
But  that  is  not  its  full  significance.  In  accordance  with 
the   foreknowlcdoe   of   God,   and   in   consonance  with     his 


a,  "Elias."  Canto  5,  p.  37,  annotative  edition, 
/;.  Acts  3:21. 


206  THE  ERA  OE  RESTEFUTION 

si.blimc,  far-reaching  purposes,  this  vast,  aU-compre- 
hending  period  was  foreordained  from  tlie  1)eginning  as 
the  final  development  of  the  Divine  Plan — "the  winding-ni) 
scene"  of  the  Creator's  work  pertaining  to  this  planet.'" 

All  in  One. — Joseph  the  Seer,  referring  to  this  mighty 
dispensation,  and  the  object  for  which  it  was  "ushered 
in  "  says : 

"It  is  necessary  .  .  that  a  whole  and  complete  and 
perfect  union  and  welding-together  of  dispensations  and 
keys  and  powers  and  glories  should  take  place,  and  be 
revealed  from  the  days  of  Adam  even  to  the  present  time ; 
and  not  only  this,  but  those  things  which  never  have  been 
revealed  from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  but  have  been 
kept  hid  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  shall  be  revealed  unto 
babes  and  sucklings  in  this  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 
times. "'^ 

Joseph  Smith's  Work. — These  words  were  uttered  by 
the  Prophet  less  than  two  yc^rs  before  the  tragic  termina- 
tion of  his  mortal  life.  Pie  had  looked  upon  the  face  of  God. 
as  did  bjioch.  IMoses,  and  other  seers  in  times  of  old.  He 
had  communed  wi;h  An<4'els.  receiving  from  them  the  keys 
or  the  Priesthood  and  the  principles  of  the  Everlasting  Gos- 
pjel.  Thus  empowered,  he  had  organized  on  earth  the  Church 
of  Christ,  the  forerunner  of  the  Kingdom  that  shall  stand 
forever.''  Wrapt  in  celestial  vision,  he  had  gazed  upon  the 
glories  of  Eternil}',  ]H)rtraying  in  burning  eloquence 
tiie  destiny  of  the  human  race,  setting  forth  in  vivid  plain- 
ness the  conditions  of  man's  salvation  and  exaltation  in 
worlds  to  come.^  He  had  preached  the  Gospel  in  various 
parts  of  his  native  land,  and  had  caused  it  to  be  preached 


r.  D.  &  C.  77:12. 

d,  lb.  128:18. 

e,  Dan  2:44. 

f,  D.  &  C.  76. 


THE  CONSUMMATION  207 

ill  realms  beyond  the  sea.  His  glorious  career,  which  was 
about  to  end  in  martyrdom,  was  signahzed  by  the  intro- 
duction and  practice  of  sacred  principles  which  he  af- 
firmed would  bring  forth  Zion  and  enable  the  pure  in 
heart  to  ''see  God"  and  inherit  celestial  glory — the  ulti- 
mate aim  of  all  righteous  endeavor. 

The  Divine  Presence. — ''This,"  said  the  Prophet,  "is 
why  Adam  blessed  his  posterity;  he  wanted  to  bring  them 
into  the  presence  of  God."^  ''IMoses  sought  to  bring  the 
children  of  Israel  into  the  presence  of  God,  through  the 
power  of  the  Priesthood,  but  he  could  not.  In  the  first 
ages  of  the  world  they  tried  to  establish  the  same  thing, 
and  there  were  Eliases  raised  up  who  tried  to  restore 
these  very  glories,  but.  did  not  obtain  them.  But  they 
prophesied  of  a  day  when  this  glory  would  be  revealed, 
.    .    .  when  God  would  gather  together  all  things  in  one."'' 

Keys  Committed. — The  Prophet  goes  on  to  say  that 
the  Angels  who  hold  the  keys  of  spiritual  powers  and 
blessings — "authoritative  characters" — men  in  heaven  hav- 
ing- children  on  earth — "will  come  down  and  join  hand  in 
hand  in  bringing  about  this  work."*"  At  the  time  of  chat 
utterance,  this  phase  of  the  Latter-day  Work  had  begun, 
the  founder  of  the  Church  having  received  from  heavenly 
messengers  the  keys  of  authority  and  power  held  by  them 
in  past  dispensations.  The  Aaronic  Priesthood  had  been 
conferred  by  John  the  Baptist,'  and  the  Melchizedek 
Priesthood  by  Peter,  James  and  John.^  Without  this  divine 
authorization  the  Church  could  not  have  been  established, 
the  Ensign  could  not  have  been  raised  for  the  gathering 
of  scattered  Israel.  Alreadv  have  T  related  how  the  keys 


2,  D.  &  C.   107:56. 
h,  lb.  84:23,  24. 

/.  Hist.   Ch.  Vol.  ,3,  pp.  388,  389. 
/.  D.  &  C.  13. 
k,  Tb.  27:12;  128:20. 


208  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTfON 

ci  the  gathering  were  committed  to  Joseph     Smith     and 
( JHver  Cowdery  in  the  Kirtland  Temple. 

Elias  and  Elijah — But  more  was  to  follow.  In  that 
wonderful  record  of  visions  manifested  to  these  Elders,  and 
testified  of  by  them,  occurs  this  solemn  affirmation: 

"Elias  appeared,  and  committed  the  dispensation  of 
tl:e  Gospel  of  Abraham,  saying  that  in  us  and  our  seed 
all  generations  after  us  should  be  blessed. 

"After  this  vision  had  closed,  another  great  and 
glorious  vision  burst  upon  us,  for  Elijah  the  Prophet,  who 
was  taken  to  heaven  without  tasting  death,  stood  before  us 
and  said — 

"Behold,  the  time  has  fully  come,  which  was  spoken  of 
by  the  mouth  of  Malachi,  testifying  that  he  (Elijah)  should 
be  sent  before  the  great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord 
come, 

"To  turn  the  hearts  of  the  fathers  to  the  children,  and 
the  children  to  the  fathers,  lest  the  whole  earth  be  smit- 
ten with  a  curse. 

"Therefore,  the  keys  of  this  dispensation  are  com- 
mitted into  your  hands,  and  by  'this  ye  may  know  that  the 
great  and  dreadful  day  of  the  Lord  is  near,  even  at  the 
doors. "^ 

The  Same  Yet  Not  the  Same. — "Elias,"  considered  as 
a  name,  is  the  Greek  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew  "Elijah." 
Compared  references  in  the  New  and  Old  Testaments 
Clearly  establish  their  verbal  identity.^"  But  Joseph  Smith 
distinguished  between  "the  spirit  of  Elias"  and  "the  si)irit 
of  Elijah,"  the  former  a  forerunner,  the  latter  holding  the 


/.  D.  &  C.  110:12-16;  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  3.  p.  390. 
m    See  T.nkc  9:S4  and  2  Kinos   18:38;   also  James   5:17   and    1 
Kings  17:1. 


Til II  CONSUMMATION  209 

sealing  powers  necessary  to  complete  the  work  of  prepara- 
tion  for  Messiah's  advent." 

Elijah,  therefore,  is  not  to  be  confounded  with  Elias — 
that  is  to  say,  with  the  Elias  who  committed  the  keys  of  the 
Abrahamic  dispensation.  There  are  many  Eliases,  in  the 
sense  of  the  lesser  preparing  the  way  before  the  greater; 
and  by  one  of  them  Abraham's  keys  were  restored,  in 
order  that  the  blessings  anciently  pronounced  upon  the 
Eather  of  the  Eaithful  might  be  extended  ta  his  pos- 
terity in  modern  times. 

Why  Elijah?— ''Why  send  Elijah?"  asks  the  Prophet; 
and  answers  his  own  question  thus:  "Because  he  holds 
tlie  keys  of  the  authority  to  administer  in  all  the  ordin- 
ances of  the  Priesthood ;  and  without  the  authority  is 
given,  the  ordinances  could  not  be  administered  in  right- 
eousness." In  the  same  connection  he  states  that  "Elijah  was 
the  last  prophet  that  held  the  keys  of  the   Priesthood."^ 

n.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  6,  pp.  249,  254. 

o,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4,  p.  211. 

Elijah  the  Tishbite,  as  he  is  called  in  Scripture,  figured  in  the 
history  of  the  Kingdom  of  Israel  about  nine  centuries  before  the 
birth  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  It  was  a  period  of  idolatry,  when  the 
priests  of  Baal  "(whom  Elijah  overthrew)  had  Ahab  the  king  and  his 
wife,  the  wicked  Jezebel,  completely  under  their  sinister  influence. 
Regarding  the  great  Prophet  of  Restoration,  Dr.  Geikie,  says : 

"The  immense  influence  of  Elijah  during  his  life  is  seen  in  the 
place  he  held  in  the  memory  of  after  generations  in  Israel.  He  takes 
rank  along  with  Samuel  and  Moses;  not  like  the  former,  as 
the  apostle  of  a  system  yet  undeveloped ;  or  as  the  founder  of  a 
religion,  like  the  latter;  but  as  the  restorer  of  the  old  when  it  was 
almost  driven  from  the  earth.  The  prophet  Malachi  portrays  him 
as  the  announcer  of  the  great  and  terrible  day  of  Jehovah.  His 
reappearance  was  constantly  expected  as  the  precursor  of  the 
IVCessiah.  So  continually  was  he  in  the  thoughts  of  the  people  of 
New  Testament  times,  that  both  John  the  Baptist  and  our 
Lord  were  supposed  to  be  no  other  than  he.  The  son  of  Sirach 
(See  Apocrypha)  calls  him  a  fire,  and  says  that  his  word  burned 
like  a  torch,  and  that  it  was  he  who  was  to  gather  together 
again  the  tribes  of  Israel  from  the  great  dispersion.   .    .    . 

"His  final  coming,  it  is  believed,  will  be  three  days  before  that 
of  the  Messiah,  and  on  each  of  the  three  he  will  proclaim  peace, 


210  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

The   Restorer's   Mission.— Elijah's  mission,  as  made 

known  l)y  modern  revelation,  represents  the  establishment 
of  that  condition  of  perfect  unity  referred  to  by  Joseph  the 
Seer,  whose  comment  thereon  is  quoted  in  the  third  para- 
graph of  this  article.  ''Mormonism,"  as  already  explained, 
does  not  stand  for  one  Gospel  dispensation  alone,  but  for 
all  the  Gospel  dispensations,  extending,  like  the  links  of 
,\  mighty  chain,  through  the  whole  course  of  Time.  The 
I'^mal  Dispensation,  made  effective  by  the  keys  of  Elijah, 
will  bring  together  and  weld  in  one  the  parted  links  of  this 
universal  chain.  The  restitution  of  all  things — the  setting 
in  order  of  the  Eord's  House,  preparatory  to  his  coming, 
such  is  the  significance  of  the  mission  of  Elijah,  who  turns 
the  hearts  of  the  fathers  (in  heaven)  to  the  children  (on 
earth),  and  the  bearts  of  the  children  to  the  fathers. 

The  Welding  Link. — -But  these  hearts  must  not  only 
]>e  turned  ;  they  must  be  bound  together,  and  beat  as  one. 
Hiat  thought,  no  less  than  the  other,  was  in  the  Prophet's 
mind  when,  from  his  place  of  retirement  during  a  season 
oi  trouble,  he  wrote  repeatedly  to  the  Church  regarding 
an  all-important  duty  devolving  upon  its  members.  Said 
be :  'The  earth  will  be  smitten  with  a  curse  unless  there 
is  a  welding  link  of  some  kind  or  other,  between  the  fathers 
and  the  children."  And  what  is  it?  'Tt  is  the  baptism  for 
the  dead.  For  we  without  them  cannot  be  made  perfect, 
neitber  can  they  without  us  be  made  perfect."^ 

Without  Unity,  No  Perfection. — Perfection  is  the 
great     end     in     view ;     and  without  unity     there     can     be 

happiness  and  salvation,  in  a  voice  that  will  be  heard  over  all  the 
earth.  So  firm,  indeed,  was  the  conviction  of  this  in  the  days  of 
the  Talmud,  that  when  goods  were  found  which  no  owner  claimed, 
the  common  saving  was,  Put  them  by  till  Elijah  comes." — "Hours 
with  the  Bible,"  Vol.  4.  pp.  65.6^. 
/>,  D.  &  C.  127,  128. 


THE  CONSUMMATION  211 

no  perfection.  To  bring  about  this  great  consummation,  the 
Gospel  was  instituted,  the  Savior  chosen.  Earth  created, 
and  the  human  race  placed  upon  this  planet.  Nothing  im- 
perfect can  inherit  the  Divine  Presence — the  fulness  of 
(lod's  glory.  This  important  lesson  is  taught  by  the 
principle  of  marriage — celestial  marriage — the  sealing  of 
tlic  sexes,  not  for  time  only,  but  for  all  eternity.  "The  man 
is  not  without  the  woman,  nor  the  woman  without  the  man, 
ill  the  Lord."'^  United,  they  represent  completeness,  per- 
fection, each  being  the  complement  of  the  other.  Husband 
and  wife,  parent  and  child,  the  living  and  the  dead,  must 
be  one,  lest  it  be  said  of  them  at  the  celestial  gates,  as  it 
was  said  at  the  gates  of  Verdun:  'They  shall  not  pass." 
The  I>atter-day  Saints  build  temples  and  officiate  therein, 
tlie  living  for  the  dead,  not  only  to  save  them,  but  to  bring 
them  into  that  grand  Order  of  Unity,  so  necessary  to  the 
perfection  of  God's  work. 

The  Keys  of  Preparation. — Past  and  present  are  re- 
lated. It  is  the  relationship  of  parent  and  child.  Neither  is 
complete  without  the  other.  What  has  been  and  what  is 
must  join,  before  perfection  can  reign.  Without  unity  and 
tlie  perfecting  powxr  of  righteousness,  the  Saints  would  be 
unprepared  to  receive  the  King  of  Kings.  Earth,  unable  to 
endure  the  overpowering  glory  of  his  presence,  would  vanish 
from  before  his  face,  like  hoar-frost  in  the  rays  of  the  rising 
si.n.''  That  there  might  be  no  such  calamity,  no  converting 
01  an  intended  blessing  into  a  consuming  curse,  Elijah  re- 
stored the  Keys  of  Preparation. 

The  Universal  Gathering.— The  gathering  of  the 
Mouse  of  Israel  is  to  be  supplemented  bv  a  greater  gather- 


q.  1  Cor.  11:11. 
r,  Mai.  3:2;  4:1. 


212  THE  ERA  OE  RESTITUTION 

ing- — the  bringing  together  of  all  the  Gospel  dispensations, 
with  all  the  sacred  powers  and  mighty  personages  con- 
nected therewith.-^^  There  is  to  be  a  general  assembly, 
a  nniversal  union,  in  which  sainted  souls  from  all  glori- 
fied creations  will  join."'  All  things  that  are  Ohrists's,  both 
ii'  heaven  and  on  earth,  will  eventually  be  brought  to- 
gether, and  the  divided  and  discordant  parts  attuned  and 
Ijlended  into  one  harmonious  Whole. 


s,  D.  &  C.  27:5-14. 

t,  lb.  76:67;  Aloses  7:31,  64. 


PART  SEVEN 


POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 


ARTICLE   TWKXTY-EIGHT. 
The  Priesthood. 

What  "Priesthood"  Means. — Divine  authority,  or  the 
right  to  rule,  inherent  in  ilie  supreme  Source  of  all  power — 
such  is  the  primal  meaning-  of  "Priesthood."  It  also  signi- 
fies the  men  in  whom  that  authority  is  vested — the  servants 
of  the  Lord,  who  officiate  for  him  and  administer  the  laws 
and  ordinances  of  the  Gospel. 

Why  Necessary. — Divine  laws,  like  human  laws, 
require  officers  and  a  government  to  administer  them.  God. 
being  in  the  form  of  man,  cannot  be  ever\-where  present 
in  his  own  person.  Immanent  by  the  spirit  that  proceeds 
from  him.  omnipresent  by  his  power,  influence  and  au- 
thority. He  cannot,  as  a  personage,  occupy  two  places  at 
the  same  time,  any  more  than  he  can  make  something  out 
of  nothing  or  do  aught  else  that  is  impossible.  To  say  that 
Deity  can  do  that  which  cannot  be  done,  is  no  glorification 
of  Deity.  It  is  sheer  nonsense,  nothing  more. 

Since  the  Supreme  Being  cannot  be  everywhere  present 
in  person,  cannot  be  in  Heaven  and  on  Earth  simultane- 
ously, he  requires  representatives  to  carry  on  his  work  in 
this  as  in  other  parts  of  the  universe.  Herein  is  the  pnme 
reason,  the  fundamental  fact,  underlying  the  necessity  for  a 
Priesthood  and  a  Church  organization. 

A  Twofold  Power. — There  are  tw^o  priesthoods  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  or.  more  properly,  two  grand  divisions  of 
priesthood,  namely,  the  ^Melchizedek  and  the  Aaronic.  the 
latter  an  appendage  to  the  former.^  This  dualism  is  owing 
to  the  fact  that  Divine  Government  takes  cognizance  of 
and   deals   with   things   temporal   as   well   as   with     things 

a,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4,  p.  207;  D.  &  C.  107:1-20. 


216  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

spiritual.    Nevertheless,   all   things   are   spiritual   to   Deity. 
As  Eternity  includes  Time,  so  the  spiritual  includes  the  tem- 
poral. 

Origin  of  Names. — ^The  Melchizedek  Priesthood  was 
named  for  Melchizedek,  king  of  Salem.<^  The  powers  of  this 
priesthood  are  unlimited.  It  wields  authority  over 
all  things.  Holding  ''the  keys  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God,"  it  is  the  divinely  ordained  "channel  through 
which  every  important  matter  is  revealed  from  Heaven."'' 
The  Aaronic  or  Lesser  Priesthood  takes  its  name  from 
Aaron,  the  brother  of  Moses.  It  operates  within  a  limited 
sphere,  having  a  special  calling  to  administer  in  temporal 
affairs,  in  material  things. 

Symbolized  by  the  Soul. — The  Government  of  God, 
with  its  two  mighty  wings  of  priestly  power  and  authority, 
corresponds  to  and  is  symbolized  by  the  soul.  As  spirit  and 
bo'dy  constitute  the  soul,  so  the  Melchizedek  and  Aaronic 
priesthoods  constitute  the  government  of  the  Church  of 
Christ.  Through  the  medium  of  the  body,  with  its  various 
members  and  organs,  the  things  of  this  life  are  possessed 
and  utilized,  while  those  pertaining  to  a  higher  state  of  ex- 
istence are  apprehended  and  made  use  of  by  means  of  the 
spiritual  faculties.  Even  so,  by  these  two  priesthoods,  dif- 
fering in  powers  and  prerogatives,  yet  allied,  interwoven 
and  harmonious  in  their  mutual  workings,  is  carried  on  in 
all  worlds  the  sublime  \vork  of  Omnipotence. 

Furthermore,  to  extend  the  analogy,  it  is  the  spirit  or 
higher  part  of  man  that  controls,  directs  and  supplies  the 
motive  po\ver  of  the  body,  being  the  vital  mainspring  of 
this  wondrous  piece  of  machinery,  whose  functions  are 
forwarded  bv  the  animation   rcsultine   from   the  union   of 


b,  D.  &  C.  29:34.  35. 

c,  Gen.   14:18;  TTeb.  7:1-21. 

d,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4,  p.  207. 


THli  PRIESTHOOD  217 

the  twain.  In  like  manner,  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood, 
hokhng  the  keys  of  presidency,  controls  and  directs  the 
entire  body  of  the  Church  ;  delegating,  however,  a  portion 
of  its  authority  to  the  Lesser  Priesthood,  that  it  likewise 
may  wield  a  legitimate  influence  and  execute  the  purposes 
for  which  it  was  designed. 

"No  Man  Taketh  This  Honor." — Men  cannot  con- 
stitute themselves  servants  of  the  Lord.  They  must  be  called 
by  him^ — ^literally  called  and  ordained,  or  they  are  not 
qualified  to  speak  and  act  in  his  name  and  stead.  While 
there  is  no  ban  upon  doing  good,  and  all  are  free  to  pro- 
mote truth  and  practice  righteousness,  and  will  reap  sure 
rew^ard  for  so  doing,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  heavenly  sanc- 
tion upon  usurped  office  and  authority.  The  Scriptures 
make  this  fact  exceedingly  plain.^  *'God  will  not  acknowl- 
edge that  which  he  has  not  called,  ordained  and  chosen.^ 

Christ  The  Head. — Jesus  Christ  is  the  great  ''Apostle 
and  High  Priest,"^  standing  at  the  head  of  the  priestly- 
kingly  Order  of  Melchizedek.  It  was  originally  styled  "The 
Holy  Priesthood  after  the  Order  of  the  Son  of  God :"  but 
this  title  was  changed  out  of  reverence  for  the  Supreme 
Beings  to  avoid  "the  too  frequent  repetition"  of  the  all- 
sacred  name.  Melchizedek's  name  was  substituted,  because 
he  "was  such  a  great  High  Priest."^^  "Apostle"  means 
"Messenger."  or  one  who  is  sent.  The  use  of  the  term, 
as  one  of  the  titles  of  the  Savior,  is  warranted  by  the  fact 
that  the  Son  was  sent  forth  by  the  Father.*  He  was  therefore 
the  Father's  messenger.  In  like  manner,  those  sent  forth  by 
the  Son  are  his  apostles  or  messengers,  particularly  the 
tv/elve  special  witnesses. 


e.  1  Sam.  13:9-14;  2  Sam.  6:6.7;  2  Chron.  26:18-21;  Heb.  5:4. 

/,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  4.  pp.  208,  209. 

?,  Heb.  3:1. 

)i,  D.  &  C.  107:2-4. 

/,  Abr.  3:27;  John  14:24. 


218  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

Adam  Stands  Next. — Next  to  the  Savior  in  divine  au- 
thority, stands  Adam,  Ancient  of  Days,  the  father  of  the 
whole  human  family.  So  says  Joseph  the  Prophet,  in  his 
great  discourse  on  Priesthood,  ''The  priesthood  was  first 
given  to  Adam ;  he  obtained  the  First  Presidency,  and  held 
the  keys  of  it  from  generation  to  generation.  He  obtained  it 
.  .  before  the  world  was  formed  .  .  He  had  dominion 
given  him  over  every  living  creature.  He  is  Michael  the 
Archangel. "> 

Noah's  Position. — "Then  to  Noah,  who  is  Gabriel ; 
he  stands  next  in  authority  to  Adam  in  the  Priesthood.  He 
was  called  of  God  to  this  office,  and  was  the  father  of  all 
living-  in  his  day,  and  to  him  was  given  the  dominion.  These 
men  held  keys  first  on  earth  and  then  in  heaven."'^ 

These  inspired  utterances  regarding  Adam  and  Noah 
ought  to  set  at  rest  the  question  with  which  they  deal.  They 
are  a  sufficient  answer  to  the  charge,  sometimes  made,  that 
the  Latter-day  Saints  rank  Joseph  Smith  as  next  in  dignity 
and  power  to  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  fitting  that  the  Prophet  him- 
self should  supply  the  refutation. 

An  Everlasting  Principle. — He  goes  on  to  say :  "The 
Priesthood  is  an  everlasting  principle,  and  existed  with 
God  from  eternity,  and  will  to  eternity,  without  beginning 
of  days  or  end  of  years.  The  keys  have  to  be  brought  from 
heaven  whenever  the  Gospel  is  sent.  When  they  are  revealed 
from  heaven,  it  is  by  Adam's  authority."' 

Succession  and  Descent. — From  Adam,  the  Priest- 
hood descended  through  the  following  line:  Abel,  Enoch, 
Noah,  Melchizedek,  Abraham.  Esaias,  Gad,  Jeremy,  Elihu, 
Caleb,  Jethro  and  Moses.""'  Says  the  Prophet  'The  Savior. 


j,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol  3,  pp.  385,  386. 
k,  Tb.  p.  386. 
/.  Tb.  p.  386. 
m,  D.  &  C.  84:6-17.     See  also  107:40-52. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  219 

]\loses  and  Elias  gave  the  keys  to  Peter,  James  and  John, 
on  the  Mount,  when  they  were  transfigured  before  him." 
He  then  asks :  "How  have  we  come  at  the  Priesthood  in  the 
last  days?" — and  answers  thus:  ''It  came  down,  down,  in 
regular  succession.  Peter,  James  and  John  had  it  given  to 
them,  and  they  gave  it  to  others."  The  ''others"  include 
Joseph  Smith  and  Oliver  Cowdery,  the  earliest  Elders  of 
the  Latter-day  Church." 

Agents  of  the  Almighty.— Inherent  in  the  Priesthood 
is  the  principle  of  representation.  So  plenary  and  far- 
reaching  are  its  powers,  that  when  those  holding  this  au- 
thority are  in  the  line  of  their  duty,  and  possess  the  spirit 
of  their  calling,  their  official  acts  and  utterances  are  as 
valid  and  as  binding  as  if  the  Lord  himself  were  present, 
doing  and  saying  what  his  servants  do  and  say  for  him. 

This  is  what  it  means  to  bear  the  Priesthood.  It  con- 
stitutes men  agents  of  the  Almighty,  transacting  sacred 
business  in  the  interest  of  the  one  who  sent  them.  These 
agents  should  represent  their  Principal  fairly  and  faith- 
fully, reflecting,  as  far  as  possible,  his  intelligence  and 
goodness,  living  so  near  to  him  that  when  their  letter  of 
instructions  (the  written  word)  falls  short,  the  Spirit  that 
iridited  it,  resting  upon  them  as  a  continual  benediction, 
can  give  "line  upon  line"  of  revelation,  flash  upon  flash  of 
inspired  thought,  to  illumine  and  make  plain  the  path  they 
are  to  tread. 

"And  whatsoever  they  shall  speak  when  moved  upon 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  shall  be  scripture,  shall  be  the  will  of 
the  Lord,  shall  be  the  mind  of  the  Lord,  shall  be  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  shall  be  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  and  the  power 
of  God  unto  salvation."^ 


n,  D.  &  C.  13.     Tb.  128:20. 
0,  lb.  68 :4. 


220  POir/iRS  .IXJ)  PRIXCIPLES 

No  Unrighteous  Dominion. — A  tremendous  power  for 
frail  mortal  man  to  wiekl !  Yes,  and  to  guard  against  its 
abuse,  the  exercise  of  this  divine  prerogative  is  hedged 
al>out    with   certain   conditions   and   limitations.   Thus: 

"No  power  or  influence  can  or  ought  to  be  main- 
tained by  virtue  of  the  Priesthood,  only  by  persuasion,  by 
long  suffering,  by  gentleness  and  meekness,  and  by  love 
unfeigned ;  by  kindness  and  pure  knowledge,  which  shall 
greatly  enlarge  the  soul  without  hypocris)'  and  without 
guile,  reproving  betimes  with  sharpness,  when  moved  upon 
l)y  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  then  showing  forth  afterwards  an 
increase  of  love  tow^ard  him  whom  thou  hast  reproved,  lest 
he  esteem  thee  to  be  his  enemy."/' 

Again: 

'The  rights  of  the  Priesthood  are  inseparably  con- 
nected with  the  powers  of  heaven,  and  .  .  the  powers  of 
heaven  cannot  be  controlled  or  handled  only  upon  the 
princi])les  of  righteousness  .  .  .  When  we  undertake  to 
cover  our  sins,  or  to  gratify  our  pride,  our  vain  ambition, 
or  to  exercise  control  or  dominion  or  compulsion  upon 
tlie  souls  of  the  children  of  men,  in  any  degree  of  un- 
righteousness, behold,  the  heavens  withdraw  themselves, 
the  SjMrit  of  the  Lord  is  grieved :  and  when  it  is  with- 
drawn. Amen  to  the  Priesthood  or  the  authority  of  that 
n.an."^ 

An  Echo  From  the  Heights  Eternal,  where  the  Gods, 
ill  solemn  council  l)cforc  the  creation  of  the  world,  decreed 
freedom,  not  tyranny  ;  persuasion,  not  com]iulsion  ;  charity, 
not  intolerance,  the  platform  upon  which  the  Lord's  serv- 
ants should  stand.  There  is  no  room  in  all  the  Govern- 
men.t  of  God   for  the  exercise  of  ''unriqhteous  dominion." 


p,  D.  &  C.  121  :41-43. 
q,  lb.  vv.  36,  37. 


THE  PRIESTHOOD  221 

The  Other  Side. — But  there  is  another  side  to  the 
question.  If  the  men  bearing  this  sacred  authority  con- 
fine themselves  to  the  lawful  use  of  the  powers  conferred 
upon  them,  doing  no  other  than  the  things  enjoined  by 
divine  rev.eIation  or  inspired  by  the  Holy  Spirit — v/hat 
then  ?  In  that  event  the  responsibility  shifts  to  other  should- 
ers;  and  just  how  weighty  the  responsibility  is,  the  Savior 
hmiself  shows  in  his  parable  of  the  Last  Judgment,  where 
is  indicated  the  standard  or  one  of  the  standards  bv  which 
He  will  judge  the  world/ 

Before  the  Bar  of  God. — When  the  Son  of  Man,  sit- 
ting upon  "the  throne  of  his  glory,"  shall  require  of  all 
nations  and  of  all  men  a  final  accounting,  and  shall  put  to 
them  the  crucial  question :  "How  did  you  treat  my  servants 
whom  I  sent  unto  you?"  happy  the  nation  or  the  man 
v/ho  can  reply:  "Lord,  I  showed  them  the  respect  to  which 
they  were  entitled- — I  honored  them  as  I  would  have 
honored  Thee." 

Warning  and  Exhortation. — Grievous  the  sin  and 
heavy  the  penalty  incurred  by  those  who  mistreat  the  serv- 
ants .of  the  Master.  But  more  grievous  and  more  weighty 
still,  the  sin  and  punishment  of  those  who  betray  them. 
"See  to  it,"  says  the  Prophet  to  the  Elders  of  the  Church, 
"that  ye  do  not  this  thing,  lest  innocent  blood  be  found  upon 
your  skirts,  and  you  go  down  to  hell.  All  other  sins  are 
not  to  be  compared  to  sinning  against  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
proving  a  traitor  to  the  brethren."-^ 

Again  that  ancient  admonition,  sounding  dow'n  the 
centuries,  "Touch  not  mine  anointed,  and  do  my  prophets 
no  harm !"  blending  w^ith  the  Savior's  solemn 
warning  to  the  world:  "Inasmuch  as  ye  have  done  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  my  brethren,  ye  have  done  it 
unto  M.e." 


r,  Matt.  25  :21-46. 

s.  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  3,  p.  385. 


ARTICLE  TWENTY-NINE. 
Church  Government. 

An  Incomparable  System. — The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  is  conceded,  even  by  many  out- 
side its  pale,  to  be  a  most  admirable  and  most  thorough  sys- 
tem of  government.  It  ought  to  be ;  for  it  is  a  product  of 
divine  wisdom.  The  Church  on  Earth  is  the  coun- 
terpart, so  far  as  mortal  conditions  will  permit,  of  the 
Church  in  Heaven,  as  beheld  in  vision  by  Joseph  the  Seer." 
While  the  Church  founded  by  him  is  not  yet 
perfect,  it  is  approximately  so,  and  is  destined 
to  attain  that  condition.  It  is  doubtful  that  the 
Church  of  Christ  in  any  former  age  had  so 
complete  an  organization  as  it  possesses  at  the  present  time. 
This  wonderful  scheme  of  spiritual-temporal  government 
was  revealed  from  above,  and  established  here  below,  that 
the  Lord's  will  might  ])e  -done  on  earth  even  as  it  is  done 
in  heaven. 

Earliest  Offices. — The  earliest  offices  in  the  Church 
were  those  of  Elder,  Priest,  Teacher  and  Deacon;  all.  ex- 
cepting Elder,  callings  in  the  Aaronic  Priesthood.^  Other 
offices,  mostly  in  the  Priesthood  of  Melchizedek,  were 
evolved  as  fast  as  they  became  necessary.'^  The  first  Bishops 
were  ordained  in  1831,  the  year  after  the  Church  was 
organized.  There  was  no  First  Presidency  until  1833,  and 
no  Stake  organization  until  1834.  The  Twelve  Apostles  and 
their  assistants,  the  Seventies,  were  not  chosen  until  1835. 
Phit  all  these  offices  and  callino's  were  inherent  in  the  two 


a,  D.   &  C.  76:54;    107:93. 

b,  lb.  20:38-64. 

r.  Tb.  vv.  65-67.  Xote. 


CHURCH  GOFERXMEXT  223 

priesthoods  conferred  upon  the  founder  of  the  Church  be- 
fore its  organization. 

First  and  Second  Elders— Other  Titles.— Joseph 
Smith  was  the  first  President  of  the  Church.  His  orig-inal 
title  was  "First  Elder;'*  Oliver  Cowdery  being  the  '-Second 

Elder."  The  initial  use  of  these  titles — an  anticipative  use 

was  by  John  the  Baptist,  the  angel  who  ordained  Joseph 
and  Oliver  to  the  Aaronic  Priesthood.  He  told  them  of 
their  future  ordination  to  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood,  and 
of  their  calling  as  ''Elders"  thereunder.^  As  early  as  the  date 
ol  the  Church's  organization,  the  titles  of  Seer.  Translator. 
Prophet  and  Apostle,  were  conferred  upon  Joseph,  and  that 
of  Apostle  upon  Oliver,  by  revelation.^ 

Puerile  Complaints.  In  after  years  President  Joseph 
Smith  and  his  associates  were  criticised  by  seceders  from 
the  Church,  because  of  additions  made  to  the  original  list 
of  offices,  as  the  result  of  growth  and  development  on 
the  part  of  the  infant  organization.  It  was  contended  that 
since  it  came  into  existence  with  Elders.  Priests.  Teachers 
and  Deacons  as  its  governing  powers,  and  this  by  divine 
direction,  therefore  these  orders  should  have  been  deemed 
sufficient,  to  the  exclusion  of  High  Priest  and  other  titles 
claimed  to  have  been  added  by  ''ambitious  and  spiritually- 
blind"  leaders.^ 


d,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1.  pp.  40.  41    77.  78 

e,  D.  &  C  21:1. 

f,  David  Whitmer,  one  of  the  Three  Witnesses  to  the  Book  of 
Mormon,  in  a  pamphlet  published  after  his  excommunication  from 
the  Church,  put  forth  such  a  plea.  He  also  found  fault  with  the 
Prophet  for  receiving  revelations  without  the  aid  of  a  seer-stone 
previously  used  by  him,  but  laid  aside  after  he  had  fullv  mastered  hi^ 
gift,  which  David  seems  to  have  regarded  as  of  less  consequence 
than  the  stone,  which  was  no  longer  needed.— "Addre^>  to  \I1  True 
Behevers  in  Christ."  bv  David  Whitmer,  1881. 


224  POllliRS  AM)  PRIXCIPLRS 

Such  objections  are  nianifesily  puerile.  The  faultfinders 
would  have  l)een  no  more  inconsistent,  had  they  contended 
that  a  r.cw-l:orn  babe  should  remain  a  babe,  instead  of 
growing  up  to  manhood  or  womanhood  and  fulfilling  the 
measure  of  its  creation. 

The  Correct  View. — President  George  A.  Smith,  in 
sp.eakin.g  of  the  progress  of  the  Church,  was  fond  of  using, 
as  a  comparison,  the  growth  of  a  hill  of  corn — first,  a  single 
bki'de  of  green  shooting  up  from  the  soil;  then  two  or  three 
such  blades ;  and  afterw^ards  a  stalk,  with  ears  of  corn  and 
silken  tassels  pendant.  One  wdio  made  no  allowance  for  the 
growth  of  the  "hill,"  might  be  mystified  at  beholding  it  in 
these  various  stages  of  development ;  but  those  familiar  with 
the  changes  incidental  to  such  an  evolution  would  see  the 
matter  in  a  clear  light. 

Greater  Follovi^s  Lesser. — What  more  consistent, 
more  in  harmony  with  correct  principle  and  historical 
precedent,  than  for  the  greater  to  follow  the  lesser,  as  when 
the  Melchizedek  Priesthood  came  to  Joseph  and  Oliver, 
after  their  ordination  to  the  Aaronic  Priesthood?  The  lesser 
i:)repares  the  way  before  the  greater.  But  according  to  the 
logic  of  the  Prophet's  critics,  that  first  ordination  should 
have  lieen  all-sufficient;  there  should  have  been  no  second 
crdination,  and  no  further  development  of  the  Lord's 
work.  It  ought  to  have  halted  then  and  there,  when  the 
keys  of  the  Lesser  Priesthood  w^ere  given.  But  the  Lord 
knew  best,  and  his  inspired  servants  knew.  There  was  to 
be,  and  there  has  been,  a  great  and  mighty  development,  as 
the  present  status  of  the  Church  testifies.  It  has  had  a  won- 
derful history  and  a  marvelous  growth.  Never  so  strong  or 
sc  well  ecjuijiped  as  now,  its  future  is  bright,  with  glorious 
promise. 

Offices   in  the   Aaronic   Priesthood. — The   offices   of 
the   Aaronic   Priesthood,   graded     upward,     are      Deacon. 


CHURCH  GOVERNMENT  225 

Teacher  and  Priest.  The  presidency  of  this  priesthood  is 
the  P)ishopric.  The  Bishop  has  charge  of  the  Church  prop- 
erty. He  receives  and  disburses,  under  the  direction  of  the 
higher  authorities,  the  tithes  and  offerings  of  the  people.  A 
Presiding  Bishopric  of  three  have  general  charge  of  the 
funds  provided  for  the  support  of  the  poor,  for  the  build- 
ing of  temples,  for  the  creation  and  maintenance  of  schools, 
and  for  other  purposes.  The  Church's  general  financial 
records  are  also,  in  their  keeping.  A  bishop  must  be  a  lineal 
descendant  of  Aaron — in  which  event  he  can  serve  without 
counselors — or  else  a  high  priest  after  the  order  of  Mel- 
chizedek,^  having  as  his  counselors  two  other  high  priests 
of  that  order.  Under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Presiding 
Bishopric,  in  temporal  matters,  are  the  ward  bishoprics. 
Wards  and  Stakes. — The  Ward  is  a  division  of  the 
Stake,  as  the  Stake  is  a  division  of  the  Church.  A  stake, 
ill  territorial  extent,  frequently  corresponds  to  a  county, 
though  in  populous  districts  one  county  may  contain  sev- 
eral stakes.  There  are  four  stakes  in  Salt  Lake  City.  Each 
slake  has  a  presidency  of  three,  and  a  high  council  of 
twelve,  and  these  have  jurisdiction  over  all  members  and 
organizations  in  the  stake,  including  the  ward  bishoprics. 
Each  of  the  latter  constitutes  a  tribunal  for  the  trial  of 
members  who  transgress  the  church  laws  and  regulations. 
From  the  decision  of  the  Bishop's  Court,  either  party  in  a 
case  may  appeal  to  the  High  Council,  and  from  a  decision 
of  this  appellate  court  an  appeal  may  be  taken  to  the, First 
Presidency.  They  review  the  evidence,  and  if  any  injustice 
has  been  done,  the  case  is  remanded  for  a  new  trial.  If  a 
President  of  the  Church  were  tried,  it  would  be  before  'The 
Common  Council  of  the  Church,"  assisted  by  "twelve 
counselors  of  the  high  priesthood."^  The  extreme  penalty 


g,  D.  &  C.  68:14-21;  107:16,  17,  69-76. 
h,  lb.  107:82. 

15 


Z16  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

imposed  by  any  of  the  Church  tribunals  is  excommunica- 
tion. 

Administration  of  Ordinances. — The  Aaronic  Priest- 
hood administers  in  outward  ordinances,  such  as  baptism, 
and  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  higher  ordin- 
ances— confirmations,  seaHngs,  adoptions,  and  other  tem- 
ple ceremonies — must  be  administered  by  the  Priesthood 
of  Melchizedek. 

Offices  in  the  High  Priesthood — Quorums  and  Coun- 
cils.— The  Melchizedek  Priesthood  comprises,  in  an 
as^cending  scale,  the  offices  of  Elder,  Seventy  and  High 
IViest.  The  Patriarch,  the  Apostle,  and  the  President  must 
all  be  high  priests  after  this  order.  Each  specific  body  of 
priesthood  is  called  a  quorum,  though  most  of  the  general 
priesthood   organizations   are   termed   councils. 

The  General  Authorities. — The  highest  council  in 
the  Church  is^  the  First  Presidency.  It  is  composed  of  three 
high  priests,  one  of  whom  is  the  President,  the  others  being 
his  First  and  Second  counselors.  These  three  preside  over 
the  entire  Church.  The  I'resident  is  its  Prophet,  Seer  and 
Revelator,  and  also  its  Trustee-in-Trust,  hokling  the  legal 
title  to  its  property. 

Next  to  the  Inrst  Presidency  are  the  Twelve  Apostles. 
Their  special  calling  is  to  preach  the  Gospel  or  to  have  it 
preached,  in  all  nations.  The  Twelve  are  equal  in  author- 
ity to  the  l^^irst  Presidency,  l)ut  they  exercise  the  fulness  of 
their  powers  only  in  the  absence  of  the  higher  council. 
They  have  the  right  to  regulate  and  set  in  order  the  whole 
Church,  but  ihey  act  under  the  'direction  of  the  First 
1 'residency.  The  death  of  the  President  dissolves  that  coun- 
cil, and  makes  necessary  a  new  organization  thereof.  The 
Apostles  nominate  the  President,  who  then  chooses  his 
Counselors,  and  the  three  are  upheld  and  sustained  by  the 
Church   in    its   ])ublic   assemblies,   called   conferences. 


CHURCH  GOVERNMENT  227 

The  duty  of  the  Presiding  Patriarch  is  to  bless  the 
Church,  give  individual  blessings  to  its  members,  and  com- 
fort them  with  spiritual  ministrations.  He  also  assists  the 
Apostles  in  visiting  conferences  and  missions,  and  perform- 
ing other  duties  as  required. 

The  First  Council  of  the  Seventy,  seven  in  number, 
preside  over  the  entire  body  of  the  Seventies.  These,  how- 
ever, are  divided  into  quorums  of  seventy,  each  quorum 
having  seven  presidents  of  its  own.  In  the  absence  of  the 
First  Presidency  and  the  Twelve,  the  First  Council  of  the 
Seventy  would  preside  over  the  Church,  associated  with 
sixty-three  others,  the  senior  presidents  of  the  first  sixty- 
three  quorums  of  seventy.  The  Seventies  labor  under  the 
direction  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.  They  are  independent  of 
the  stake  presidencies  and  bishoprics,  as  quorums,  but  not 
as  individual  members.  They  are  the  ''minute  men"  of  the 
Church,  subject  to  sudden  calls  into  the  mission  field. 

The  First  Presidency,  the  Twelve  Apostles,  the  Pre- 
siding Patriarch,  the  First  Council  of  the  Seventy,  and 
the  Presiding  Bishopric,  constitute  the  General  Authorities 
of  the  Church.  Their  names  are  submitted  to  the  General 
Conference,  held  twice  a  year,  to  be  voted  upon  by  the 
members.  They  are  also  presented  at  the  stake  conferences, 
held  quarterly,  to  be  voted  upon,  with  the  stake  officers,  in 
like  manner. 

High  Priests,  Patriarchs  and  Elders.— Each  Stake 
has  a  quorum  of  high  priests,  indefinite  in  number,  pre- 
sided over  by  three  of  its  members.  The  High  Priesthood 
holds  the  inherent  right  of  presidency.  All  the  general  au- 
thorities, excepting  the  First  Council  of  the  Seventy,  must 
be  high  priests;  and  the  same  is  true  of  stake  presidencies 
and  ward  bishoprics.  In  each  stake  are  one  or  more 
patriarchs,  performing,  when  active,  duties  similar  to  those 
cf  the  Presiding  Patriarch. 


228  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

A  Stake  has  one  or  more  quorums  of  Elders,  each  com- 
posed of  ninety-six  members,  three  of  whom  preside.  Each 
ward  should  have  one  or  more  quorums  of  priests  (forty- 
eight),  teachers  (twenty- four),  and  deacons  (twelve),  each 
with  a  presidency  of  three.  The  ward  bishopric  presides 
in  a  general  way  over  all  the  quorums  of  the  Aaronic 
Priesthood  in  the  ward,  and  over  all  church  members,  as 
individuals,  residing  therein.  The  bishop  of  the  ward  is  ex- 
officio  president  of  the  priest's  quorum.  The  Elder's  of- 
fice is  the  lowest  in  the  Melchizedek  Priesthood.  The 
duties  of  an  elder  are  similar  to  those  of  a  seventy,  though 
intended  to  be  exercised  more  at  home  than  abroad. 

The  Lesser  Quorums. — The  highest  office  in  the 
Aaronic  Priesthood,  except  bishop,  is  that  of  priest.  The 
bishop,  however,  is  a  priest,  and  officiates  as  such  when 
sitting  as  a  judge;  when  presiding  over  his  ward,  it  is  by 
virtue  of  the  higher  priesthood  held  by  him.  The  priest 
may  preach,  baptize  and  administer  the  Sacrament,  but  has 
not  the  right  to  lay  on  hands  and  give  the  Holy  Ghost;  that 
being  a  function  of  the  M?lchized.ek  Priesthood. 

The  teacher  is  a  peacemaker.  He  settles  difficulties 
arising  between  church  members  in  his  district ;  or,  if  he 
cannot  settle  them,  he  reports  them  to  the  bishop.  Two  or 
more  teachers  labor  regularly  in  each  of  the  districts  into 
which  a  ward  is  divided.  It  is  incumbent  upon  them  lo 
visit  from  house  to  house,  to  see  that  no  iniquity  exists 
among  the  members,  and  that  they  are  attentive  to  their 
religious  duties.  The  teachers  report  monthly,  or  as  often 
a^-  required,  to  the  ward  bishopric.  The  deacons  have 
charge  of  the  ward  property,  and  they  assist  the  teachers, 
as  the  teachers  assist  the  priests. 

Auxiliaries — Church  Schools.  All  the  organizations 
named  are  strictly  within  the  pale  of  the  Priest- 
hood.      In  addition,     there     are     a     nitn-^ber     of  auxiliary 


CHURCH  GOVERNMENT  229 

organizations — helps  to  the  Priesthood  in  the  government 
of  the  Church — such  as  relief  societies,  Sabbath  schools, 
young  peoples'  mutual  improvement  associations,  primary 
associations,  and  religion  classes.  Church  schools,  of 
which  the  religion  classes  are  an  adjunct,  exist  in  many 
of  the  stakes.  The  more  notable  of  the  schools  are  the 
Brigham  Young  University  at  Provo,  the  Brigham  Young 
College  at  Logan,  and  the  Latter-day  Saints  University 
at  Salt  Lake  City.  For  the  maintenance  of  its  splendid 
educational  system,  the  Church  makes  an  appropriation 
of  nearly  three  quarters  of  a  million  dollars,  annually.  All 
branches  of  learning  find  place  in  the  curricula  of  these 
institutions,  but  religion  is  the  principal  feature;  the  object 
being  to  develop  the  spiritual,  as  well  as  the  mental,  phy- 
sical, and  moral  faculties  of  the  student — In  short,  ''to  make 
Latter-day  Saints."* 

The  Present  Status. — At  the  period  of  this  writing 
there  are  eighty-five  Stakes  of  Zion,  all  located  in  the  region 
of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  The  Church's  twenty-four  outside 
missions  comprise  most  of  the  countries  of  the  globe.  The 
Latter-day  Saints,  in  all  the  world,  number  about  half  a  mil- 
lion. 


i.  For  further  information  on  Priesthood  and  Church  Govern- 
ment, the  reader  is  referred  to  Sections  20,  68,  84,  107,  112  and 
114,  Doctrine  and  Covenants;  also  to  Volume  3,  p.  385'  and  Vol. 
4,  p.  207,  History  of  the  Church. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY. 

The  Law  of  Obedience. 

"There  is  a  law,  irrevocably  decreed  in  Heaven  before  the 
/oiindation  of  this  world,  upon  which  all  blessings  are  predi- 
cated;   and   when   we    obtain   any   blessing   from    God,    it    is   by 

obedience   to    that    law   upon    which    it    is   predicated." — Joseph 

Smith.a 

Pope  and  His  Proverb. — "Order  is  heaven's  first 
law,"  said  Alexander  Pope  ;^^  and  many  have  accepted  the 
poet's  dictum  as  final.  It  sounds  well,  but  is  it  true?  Presi- 
dent George  O.  Cannon  denied  its  truth,  affirming  order 
to  be  an  effect  rather  than  a  cause,  a  result  flowing  from 
obedience,  without  which  order  would  be  impossible.  Obed- 
ience, he  maintained,  is  heaven's  first  law,  and  the  order 
that  reigns  there,  a  condition  consequent.  Manifestly  this 
is  a  correct  position. 

Human  and  Divine  Government. — That  obedience  is 
essential  to  order,  must  be  apparent  even  to  a  casual  ob- 
server of  the  every-day  life  of  men  and  nations.  All  gov- 
ernments demand  from  their  people  obedience  to  the  laws 
enacted  for  the  general  welfare.  Without  it  there  would 
be  no  peace,  no  protection.  Confusion  would  prevail,  and 
anarchy  reign  supreme.  This  is  readily  conceded  by  most 
men  as  to  human  governments  ;  but  some  think  it  strange 
that  divine  government  should  be  administered  upon  like 
principles,  and  for  similar  though  higher  ends. 

Aliens  Must  Be  Naturalized. — A  friend  of  mine, 
somewhat  of  a  skeptic,  asked  me :  'AVhy  must  I  belong  to  a 
church,  or  subscribe  to  a  creed,  or  undergo  any  particular 


a,  D.  &  C.  130:20,  21. 

b,  "Essay  on  Man,"  Epis.  4,  line  49. 


THE  LAW  OF  OBEDIENCE  231 

ceremony,  in  order  to  be  saved?  I  have  always  done  what  T 
thought  was  right — have  been  truthful,  honest,  virtuous 
and  benevolent.  Why  is  that  not  enough?  Why  will  it  not 
suffice  to  make  my  peace  with  God  and  pave  my  way  to 
Heaven  ?'* 

I  answered :  "Suppose  you  were  an  alien,  born  in  some 
country  of  Europe,  or  on  some  island  of  the  sea,  and  you 
came  to  America  desiring  to  become  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States.  When  told  that  you  must  declare  your  intentions, 
take  out  naturalization  papers,  forswear  allegiance  to  any 
foreign  power,  and  honor  and  uphold  the  Constitution  and 
laws  of  this  Republic,  suppose  you  were  to  reply:  Why, 
what  is  the  need  of  all  that?  I  am  a  good  man;  I  have  al- 
ways acted  honorably;  am  clean,  moral  and  upright  in 
conduct  and  conversation.  Why  is  that  not  sufficient  to 
entitle  me  to  vote,  to  hold  office,  take  up  land,  and  enjoy 
all  the  rights  and  privileges  of  an  American  freeman?  Do 
you  think  such  a  plea  would  avail?  No,  you  do  not.  You 
see  its  inconsistency  as  quickly  as  the  Government  would 
see  it  and  reject  your  application.  You  would  not  expect  to 
become  a  citizen  of  the  United  States  on  your  own  terms. 
Why,  then,  should  you  hope  for  admittance  into  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven  upon  any  conditions  other  than  those  which 
the  King  himself  has  laid  down?" 

Man's  Proper  Attitude.— Men  must  not  count  upon 
their  personal  qualities,  when  applying  for  citizenship  in 
the  Eternal  Commonv^ealth.  The  proper  attitude  is  one 
of  humility,  not  self-righteousness.  The  Pharisee  who  prayed, 
thanking  the  Lord  that  he  was  better  than  other  men,  was 
less  justified  than  the  Publican  who  also  prayed,  but  in  a 
different  spirit,  meekly  murmuring:  ''God  be  merciful  to  me, 
a  sinner."^  A  disposition  to  laud  self,  or  dictate  the  terms 

c,  Luke  18:10-14. 


2Z2  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

upon  which  one  is  willing  to  be  blest,  is  anything  but 
modest,  anything  but  reasonable.  Truthfulness,  honesty, 
virtue,  benevolence — these  are  precious  qualities,  treasures 
enriching  the  soul  under  all  conditions,  inside  or  outside  the 
Kingdom  of  Heaven.  But  they  are  not  valuable  enough  to 
purchase  a  passport  into  that  Kingdom.  They  go  far,  but 
not   far  enough  to   secure   salvation. 

Better  Than  Sacrifice. — *'To  obey  is  better  than  sac- 
rifice." So  said  obedient  Samuel  to  disobedient  Saul.^ 
Abraham's  willingness  to  obey,  when  the  Lord  commanded 
him  to  offer  up  Isaac,  was  accepted  in  lieu  of  the  offer- 
ing. A  literal  sacrifice  was  not  necessary  in  that  case ;  but 
the  offer  to  make  it  was  necessary ;  for  thus  was  sym- 
bolized the  most  important  event  in  all  history — the  offer- 
ing by  the  Eternal  Father  of  his  beloved  Son  for  the  re- 
demption of  the  fallen  human  race.  The  Patriarch's  will- 
ingness having  been  shown,  the  Lord,  who  had  directed 
Abraham  to  offer  up  his  son,  sent  an  angel  with  the 
countermanding  order:  ''Lay  not  thine  hand  upon  the  lad."^ 
The  offering  had  been  accepted,  and  he  who  made  it  was 
rewarded  as  abundantly  as  if  the  sacrifice  had  been  con- 
summated. 

Dead  Letter  and  Living  Oracle. — But  v^hat  if  Abra- 
ham, when  commanded  to  offer  up  his  son,  had  refused, 
citing  in  support  of  his  position  the  divine  law  against  homi- 
cide, a  law  dating  from  the  time  of  Cain  and  Abel — would 
that  have  justified  him?  No;  God's  word  is  his  law,  and  the 
word  last  spoken  by  him  must  have  precedence  over  any 
earlier  revelation  on  the  same  subject.  If  Abraham,  after 
being  forbidden  to  slay  his  son,  had  fanatically  persisted 
in  slaying  him,  he  would  have  been  a  transgressor,  just 
as  much  as  if  he  had  refused  to  obey  in  the  first  instance. 


d,  1  Sam.  IS  :22. 
c.  Gen.  22:12. 


THE  LAW  OF  OBEDIENCE  233 

After  receiving  the  second  command,  he  could  not  con- 
sistently plead  that  he  was  under  obligation  to  carry  out 
tlie  first.  Had  he  done  so,  he  would  have  placed  himself 
in  a  false  position,  that  of  honoring  the  dead  letter  above 
the  living  oracle. 

The  Will  for  the  Deed. — Let  me  give  this  principle 
another  application.  A  soldier  goes  forth  to  fight  the  bat- 
tles of  his  country,  goes  with  a  willing  heart,  offering  his 
life  that  justice  may  prevail  and  freedom  endure.  Having 
done  his  duty,  he  returns  unscathed  from  the  conflict  where 
many  went  down  to  death.  Is  not  his  offering  as  acceptable 
as  that  of  his  comrade  who  makes  what  is  called  ''the  su- 
preme sacrifice  ?"  He  certainly  offers  as  much,  the  only  dif- 
ference being  that  not  as  much  of  his  offering  is  taken. 
All  honor  to  those  who,  during  the  dreadful  war  of 
recent  years,  perished  in  the  blood-soaked  trenches,  or  fell 
ii..  the  open  field  with,  Prussian  or  Austrian  bullets  in  their 
breasts !  All  honor  to  those  who  met  death  by  accident  or 
disease,  in  training  camp  or  at  battle-front,  on  land  or  on 
sea,  losing  their  lives  while  faithfully  playing  their  pare 
ill  the  great  world  tragedy!  Heroes,  every  one!  But  the 
gallant  fellows  who  lived  through  it  all,  patiently  endur- 
ing hardships  and  privations,  dying  daily  by  anticipation, 
and  by  willingness  to  sacrifice  all  for  the  common  good — 
be  it  not  forgotten  that  in  spirit  they  gave  as  much  as  any ; 
and  the  fact  that  their  offering  was  not  taken,  does  not 
discount  the  motive  that  actuated  them,  nor  diminish  the 
credit  due.  "As  his  part  is  that  goeth  down  to  the  battle, 
so  shall  his  part  be  that  tarrieth  by  the  stuff;  they  shall 
part  alike. "^ 

The  Just  and  the  Unjust. — All  blessings  come  by  obe- 
dience. When  the  Savior  said  of  the  Father:  ''He  maketh 


f,  1  Sam.  30 :24. 


234  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the  good,  and  sendeth 
rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  unjust."^  he  did  not  mean  that 
no  distinction  is  made  between  the  two  classes.  He  meant 
that  the  Great  Judge  is  just  to  ])oth — just  even  to  the  un- 
just, sending  to  them  his  rain  and  his  sunshine,  causing 
their  orchards  to  bloom  and  their  vineyards  to  bear  equally 
with  those  of  the  righteous,  i:)rovid.ed  similar  conditions 
surround,  and  both  classes  are  equally  obedient  to  the  laws 
governing  the  culture  of  the   soil. 

They  Kept  the  First  Estate.— But  rain  and  sunshine, 
like  all  other  blessings,  are  for  those  who  merit  them. 
If  the  unjust  (unjust  here)  had  not  ''kept  their  first 
estate,"  had  not  manifested  in  a  previous  life  some  de- 
gree of  obedience!  to  divine  law,  they  would  not  have 
been  given  a  ''second  estate,"  would  not  have  been  placed 
where  the   sunlight  and  the  showers  could  reach   them. 

Obedience  Must  Continue. — In  this  life,  however, 
further  obedience  is  necessary,  in  order  that  greater 
blessings  may  come.  God's  gifts  are  both  spiritual  and 
temporal ;  but  whatever  they  are,  their  bestowal  is  regu- 
lated by  the  great  Law  of  Obedience.  A  good  man  may 
be  a  poor  farmer,  and  thus  fail  to  raise  the  full  crop 
that  he  might  have  reaped  had  he  been  more  skillful  or 
more  thorough  in  the  practice  of  his  vocation.  On  the 
other  hand,  a  bad  man  may  be  an  expert  tiller  of  the 
soil,  realizing  bounteous  returns  because  of  his  strict  ob- 
servance of  the  law  in  that  particular  department  of  in- 
dustry. 

Higher  Lavi^s  and  Higher  Blessings.— There  are 
greater  blessings,  however,  than  those  pertaining  to  the 
harvest  field  and  the  workshop,  and  they  also  are  to  be 
had  only  by  obedience  to  the  laws  governing  their  bestowal 

g,  Matt.  5:45. 


THE  LAW  OF  OBEDIENCE  235 

and  distribution.  One  cannot  become  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  by  being-  a  successful  merchant  or  stock- 
raiser;  and  one  may  hold  church  membership,  yet  not  be 
entitled  to  the  privileges,  of  the  Temple.  It  takes  more  than 
the  skill  of  a  mechanic  to  get  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven. 
There  is  but  one  way  into  that  kingdom,  and  he  who  tries 
to  pick  the  lock  or  climb  over  the  wall,  will  be  treated  as 
a  trespasser  or  a  robber. 

Rod  and  Rock. — Obedience  is  the  rod  of  power  which 
smites  the  rock  of  divine  resource,  causing  it  to  flow  with 
the  waters  of  human  weal.  And  the  most  obedient  are  the 
most  blest.  There  are  "many  mansions"  in  the  great  House 
of  God,  and  the  highest  are  for  those  who  render  unto 
the  Master  of  the  House  the  fulness  of  their  obedience. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-ONE. 
The  Divine  Doorway. 

The  Most  Important  Personage. — What  particular 
acts  of  obedience  are  required  from  man,  in  order  that  the 
One  who  redeemed  may  hkewise .  save  and  exalt  him? 
What  must  he  do  for  himself,  to  the  end  that  he  may 
profit  by  the  great  things  done  in  his  behalf?  In  other 
words,  how  shall  the  alien  seeking  citizenship  in  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven,  obtain  it?  What  are  the  divine  laws  of 
naturahzation  ?  The  one  who  can  answer  such  questions,  is 
easily  the  most  important  personage  of  his  time.  Such  a 
one  was  Peter,  the  Galilean  fisherman,  chief  of  the  twelve 
special  witnesses  of  the  Savior. 

The  Pentecostal  Proclamation. — When  Peter,  on  the 
Day  of  Pentecost,  preached  "Christ  and  him  crucified,"  and 
the  conscience-stricken  multitude,"  pricked  in  their  heart," 
cried  out,  ''men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do?"  a  ques- 
tion was  propounded  which  the  most  learned  philosophers 
of  that  age  could  not  answer.  Ceasar,  sitting  upon  the 
throne  of  the  world,  would  have  been  mystified  had  the 
question  been  put  to  him — What  shall  men  do  to  be  saved? 
Not  so,  the  Galilean  fisherman.  He  knew,  and  he  told 
them  straightway: 

"Repent,  and  be  baptized,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name 
of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  re- 
ceive the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. "^ 

The  Gospel  Unchangeable. — These  requirements  have 
not  changed.  They  are  in  force  today.  They  will  remain 
in  force  so  long  as  the  Gospel  is  preached.  The     Apostle 


a.  Acts  2:38. 


THE  DIVINE  DOORWAY  237 

did  not  say  that  these  were  all  the  requirements.  But  he 
answered  the  question  put  to  him,  and  it  was  the  appro- 
priate and  sufficient  reply  for  that  occasion. 

In  the  Pit. — When  Adam  and  Eve  had  transgressed 
the  divine  command  hy  partaking  of  the  forbidden  fruit, 
it  was  as  if  the  human  race  had  fallen  into  a  pit,  from 
which  they  were  powerless,  by  any  act  of  their  own,  to 
emerge.  They  could  not  climb  out,  for  they  knew  not  how 
tc  climb ;  and  even  if  they  had  known,  there  was  no  means 
by  which  to  ascend.  Human  endeavor,,  imassiste-d,  could  ac- 
complish nothing  in  the  way  of  deliverance.  Man  in  h;<! 
mortal  condition  needed  revelation^  spiritual  enlighten- 
ment, having  forgotten  all  that  he  had  previously  known. 
He  also  needed  a  ladder. 

The  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  the  ladder  to  Freedom 
and  Light.  Without  it  there  is  no  salvation,  no  exaltation. 
The  Tower  of  Babel  symbolizes  the  situation.  All  man's 
efforts  to  reach  Heaven  without  -divine  assistance,  must 
end  in  confusion  and  failure. 

Self-Help  Necessary. — Before  there  was  a  Ladder,  or 
while  it  was  not  within  reach,  fallen  man  could  not 
climb.  All  his  intelligence  and  skill  were  unavailing.  But 
the  ladder  having  been  let  down,  if  he  will  us.e  his  God- 
given  pfowers  and  all  the  means  provided  for  the  pur- 
pose, he  can  mount  from  Earth  to  Heaven,  round  by 
round.  If  he  refuses  to  climb,  who  but  himself  is  to  blame 
for  his  remaining  at  the  bottom  of  the  pit?  The  Gospel  is 
not  a  substitute  for  self-help.  It  does  not  supersede  man's 
efforts  in  his  own  behalf.  It  is  the  divinely  appointed 
means  whereby  those  efforts  are  made  effectual.  It  does 
for  man  what  he  cannot  do  for  himself. 

Redemption  by  Grace. — The  Gospel  of  Salvation  rests 
upon  the  rock  of  Christ's  Atonement — an  act  of  grace,  a 
free  gift  from  God  to  man,  to  the  wicked  as  well  as  to 


238  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

the  righteous.  All  profit  by  it,  for  through  that  atonement, 
all  are  brought  forth  from  the  grave.  This  is  eminently 
ji:st.  Adam's  posterity  were  consigned  to  death  for  no 
deed  of  their  own  doing.  It  is  fitting,  therefore,  that 
their  redemption  should  be  unconditional. 

Salvation  by  Obedience. — But  redemption  is  not  sal- 
vation, nor  salvation  exaltation.  Men  must  "w^ork  out" 
their  salvation,''  and  gain  exaltation  by  continuous  upward 
striving.  Depending  primarily  upon  the  grace  of  God,  sal- 
vation and  exaltation  are  likewise  the  fruits  of  man's  ac- 
ceptance of  the  Gospel,  and  of  his  steadfast  adherence 
thereto,  until  it  shall  have  done  for  him  its  perfect  w^ork. 

The  First  Requirement. — Faith  is  the  first  require- 
ment of  the  Gospel,  'lie  that  believeth  and  is  loaptized 
shall  be  save<l."  So  the  Savior  declared,  when  he  commis- 
sioned his  Apostles  to  ''go  into  all  the  world  and  preach 
the  Gospel  to  every  creature."'"  Peter's  Pentecostal  ser- 
mon omitted  faith  from  the  list  of  essentials,  (loul)tless 
for  the  reason  that  those  whom  the  Apostle  addressed 
already  had  faith,  a  fact  plainly  shown  by  the  question  put 
to  him.  Evidently  they  believed  what  he  had  tokl  them 
about  the  crucified  Redeemer;  else  they  would  not  have 
been  "pricked  in  their  heart,"  and  would  not  have  anxiously 
inquired,  "What  shall  we  do?" 

In  like  manner,  the  Savior,  when  making  his  condi- 
tional i)romisc  of  salvation,  left  out  repentance,  it  being 
implied,  virtually  included,  in  the  admonition  to  believe 
and  be  baptized ;  since  baptism  is  "for  the  remission  of 
sins" — sins  of  which  man  has  repented.  Faith,  not  re- 
pentance, is  the  first  essential — the  initial  requirement  made 
01  the  seeker  for  salvation. 


b,  Phil.  2:12. 

c,  Mark  16:15,  16. 


a  nee. 


THE  DIVINE  DOORWAY  239 

The  Second  Step.— The  first  fruit  of  faith  is  repent- 

e.  It  follows  faith  as  naturally  as  kindness  follows  love, 
as  obedience  springs  from  reverence,  'as  a  desire  to  be' 
congenial  with,  suceeds  admiration  for,  one  whose  example 
is  deemed  worthy  of  emulation.  God  commands  all  men 
to  repent;  and  a  desire  to  please  him  and  become  ac- 
ceptable in  his  sight,  naturally  leads  the  soul  of  faith  to 
repentance. 

"Sin  No  More."— Repentance  is  not  that  superficial 
sorrow  felt  by  the  wrongdoer  when  ''caught  in  the  act"— 
a  sorrow  not  for  sin,  but  for  sin's  detection.  Chagrin  is- 
not  repentance.  Mortification  and  shame  alone  bring  no 
cliange  of  heart  toward  right  feeling  and  right  living. 
Even  remorse  is  not  all  there  is  to  repentance.  In  highest 
meaning  and  fullest  measure,  repentance  is  equivalent  to 
reformation;  the  beginning  of  the  reformatory  process 
being  a  resolve  to  ''sin  no  more."  "By  this  ye  may  know 
that  a  man  repenteth  of  his  sins:  Behold  he  will  confess 
tliem  and  forsake  them."'^ 

What  is  Sin?— Sin  is  the  transgression  of  divine  law, 
as  mad.e  known  through  the  conscience  or  by  revelation.' 
A  man  sins  when  he  violates  his  conscience,  going 
contrary  to  light  and  knowledge— not  the  light  and  knowl- 
edge that  has  come  to  his  neighbor,  but  that  which  has 
come  to  himself.  He  sins  when  he  does  the  opposite  of 
what  he  knows  to  be  right.  Up  to  that  point  he  only 
blunders.  One  may  suffer  painful  consequences  for  only 
blundering,  but  he  cannot  commit  sin  unless  he  knows  bet- 
ter than  to  do  the  thing  in  which  the  sin  consists.  One 
must  have  a  conscience  before  he  can  violate  it.  "Where 
there  is  no  law  given,  there  is  no  punishment  ...  no  con- 

d,  D.  &  C.  58  :43. 


240  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

demnation."^  "He  that  knoweth  not  good  from;  evil  is 
blameless."^ 

Degrees  of  Damnation. — Souls  who  know  that  they 
have  sinned,  and  who  refuse  to  forsake  their  sins,  will  be 
damned.  They  damn  themselves  by  that  refusal.  Damna- 
tion is  no  part  of  the  Gospel.  It  is  simply  the  sad  alterna- 
tive, the  inevitable  consequence  of  rejecting  the  offer  of 
salvation.  Damnation  (condemnation)'  is  not  necessarily 
permanent,  and  it  may  exist  in  degrees,  the  degree  being-  de- 
termined by  the  measure  of  culpability  in  the  one  con- 
demned. Even  the  damned  can  be  saved  if  they     repent. 

The  Sin  Unpardonable. — It  is  possible,  however,  to 
sin  so  far  and  so  deeply  that  repentance  is  impossible. 
Shakespeare  puts  into  the  mouth  of  one  of  his  characters 
— the  guilty  King  Claudius — this   speech  : 

"Try  what  repentance  can:  what  can  it  not? 
Yet  what  can  it  when  one  cannot  repent?"^ 

Those  who  cannot  repent  are  sons  of  perdition.  Their 
sin  is  unpardonable,  involving  utter  recreancy  to  divine 
light   and   power  previously  possessed. 

The  Washing  of  Regeneration. — Sin  must  not  only 
be  repented  of ;  it  must  be  blotted  out.  Tlie  sold  must  be 
cleansed  of  it.  Baptism  is  the  soul-cleansing  process,  the 
divinely  instituted  means  whereby  sins  are  remitted — that 
is,  forgiven  and  washed  away.  Immersion  in  water,  sym- 
bolizing birth,  or  burial  and  resurrection,  is  the  true  form 
of  the  baptismal  ordinance.  Baptism  is  the  third  principle 
of  the  Gospel. 

Divine  Illumination. — The  soul  cleansed  from  sin  is  in 
a  condition  to  enjoy  the  abiding  presence  of  the  Holy  vSpirit, 


^,  2Nephi9:25. 

/,  Alma  29:5. 

g,  Hamlet,  Act.  3,  Scene  3. 


THE  DIVINE  DOORWAY  241 

which  "dwellcth  not  in  unclean  tabernacles."  Through  this 
precious  gift  comes  the  divine  light  that  ''leads  into  all 
truth,"  making  manifest  the  things  of  God,  past,  present, 
and  to  come.  There  is  a  light  that  illumines,  in  greater 
or  less  degree,  every  soul  that  cometh  into  the  world; 
but  the  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  imparted  by  the  laying 
on  of  hands  of  one  divinely  authorized  to  bestow  it,  is  a 
special  endowment,  and  only  those)  having  membership 
in  the  Church  of  Christ  can  possess  it.  Each  is  thus  given 
a  direct  personal  testimony  of  the  Truth,  and  is  founded 
upon  the  Rock  of  Revelation,  against  which  the  Gates  of 
K,ell  cannot  prevail. 

Gospel  Principles  Eternal. — The  Everlasting  Gospel  is 
not  an  empty  phrase.  It  means  just  what  it  says.  The  prin- 
ciples underlying  it  are  eternal.  "Intelligence  or  the  light 
of  truth  was  not  created  or  made,  neither  indeed  can  be."^ 
The  same  is  true  of  faith  and  repentance.  God  did  not 
make  them.  They  are  self-existent.  Such  ordinances  as 
baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  the 
laying  <on  of  hands  for  the  gift  (giving)  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  might  indeed  be  created,  and  doubtless  were;  but 
not  the  fundamental  facts  upon  which  they  are  based.  It 
did  not  require  a  divine  edict  to  make  washing  (baptism) 
a  prerequisite  to  cleanliness;  nor  light  (the  Holy  Spirit) 
the  means  of  illumination. 

A  code  or  system  of  laws  and  ordinances  can  readily 
be  conceived  of  as  a  creation.  Not  so  the  principles  embodied 
therein.  The  Gospel,  like  all  other  creations,  was  organized 
out  of  materials  already  in  existence — eternal  principles 
adapted  to  the  needs  of  man  and  the  purposes  of  Deitv. 


h,  D.  &  C.  93:29. 

16 


242  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

The  Supreme  Intelligence,  recognizing  these '  principles  as 
ennobling  and  exalting  in  their  tendency,  created  a  plan 
embodying  them  as  the  most  effectual  means  for  man's 
uplift  and  promotion.  That  plan,  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
is  the  divinely  appointed  doorway  into  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven.  t 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-TWO. 

The  Second  Birth. 

The  Edict  of  the  King. — "Except  a  man  be  born 
again,   he   cannot   see    the   Kingdom   of   God." 

"Except  a  man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the  Spirit, 
he   cannot   enter  into   the   Kingdom   of   God."^ 

So  said  the  King  of  that  Kingdom,  the  only  one  em- 
powered to  prescribe  conditions  upon  which  men  may 
become  his  subjects,  or  his  fellow  citizens  in  the  Eternal 
Commonwealth.  Nicodemus,  to  whom  Jesus  spoke  those 
words,  was  a  ruler  of  the  Jews,  a  Pharisee,  and,  as  some 
suppose,  a  member  of  the  Sanhedrin,  or  supreme  Jewish 
council.  Favorably  inclined  toward  the  unpopular  Naza- 
rene,  yet  too  politic  to  be  seen  associating  with  him  openly, 
this  man  sought  him  out  by  night,  avowing  a  belief  that 
he  was  "a  teacher  come  from  God."  In  response  to  this 
confession  of  faith,  Jesus  taught  Nicodemus  the  doctrine 
of  baptism.  .  i 

A  Subject  of  Controversy. — The  meaning  of  the  lan- 
guage in  which  the  teaching  was  conveyed,  though  per- 
fectly plain  to  Christians  anciently,  has  been  a  matter  of 
uncertainty  to  their  successors  all  down  the  centuries. 
From  the  days  of  the  early  Greek  fathers  of  the  Christian 
Church,  to  the  days  of  St.  Augustine,  the  great  theolo- 
gian of  the  Western  or  Roman  Catholic  division  of  that 
Church ;  from  his  time  to  the  time  of  Luther  and  Calvin, 
and  thence  on  into  the  present  age,  men  have  disputed 
over  the  mystical  Second  Birth,  declared  by  the  World's 


a,  John  3 :3,  5. 


244  PO  JVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

Redeemer  to  be  the  portal  of  admittance   into  his   King- 
dom. 

Over  the  general  meaning  of  the  phrase,  "Born  of 
Water  and  of  the  Spirit,"  there  may  have  been  no  serious 
contention.  In  all  or  most  of  the  Christian  denominations, 
it  means  baptism,  the  ordinance  whereby  a  person  is  initiat- 
ed into  the  Church.  But  the  meaning  of  baptism,  the  sig- 
nificance, form,  purpose  and  effects  of  the  ordinance,  and 
whether  or  not  it  is  necessary  to  salvation — these  questions 
ha;ve  furnished  the  backbone  of  the  controversy ;  questions 
easily  answered,  problems  readily  solved,  if  the  Holy 
Spirit  be  taken  for  a  guide,  and  there  be  no  wresting  of  the 
scriptures. 

The  Savior's  Example. — The  words  of  Jesus  to  Nico- 
demus  ought  to  set  at  rest  the  question  of  necessity.  But  as 
a  clincher  w.e  have  the  Savior's  declaration  regarding  his 
own  baptism.  Jesus  came  from  Galilee  to  Jordan  to  be 
baptized  by  John.  The  Baptist,  deeming  himself  unworthy 
of  that  high  honor,  demurred,  saying :  'T  have  need  to 
be  baptized  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me?"  Jesus,  an- 
swering, said  :  "Suffer  it  to  be  so  now,  for  thus  it  becometh 
us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.  Then  he  suffered  him."^ 

Now,  if 'it  was  becoming  in  the  Son  of  God  to  be 
baptized,  it  is  becoming  in  all  who  follow  in  his  footsteps 
and  hope  to  be  with  him  hereafter.  They  must  be  baptized 
with  the  baptism  that  he  was  baptized  with — the  baptism  of 
water  and  of  the  Spirit,  received  by  him  at  the  river  Jor- 
dan nearly  two  thousand  years  ago. 

King  and  Subject. — There  are  those  who  contend  that 
the  baptism  of  Jesus  was  all-sufficient :  that  it  answered 
for  the  whole  human  race,  thereby  obviating  the  nece^,<^ity 
of  baptism  in  general.  To  all  such  I  put  this  question  Can 

b,  Matt.  3:13. 


THE  SECOND  BIRTH  245 

you  conceive  of  a  kingdom  in  which  the  king  is  required 
to  obey  the  laws  ordained  for  its  government,  while  the 
subjects  arei  not  required  to  obey  them?  Far  more  Hkely,  is 
it  not,  that  the  king,  rather  than  the  subject,  would  be  ex- 
empt from  such  obedience?  But  the  laws  of  Christ's  King- 
dom are  just  and  impartial.  They  bear  with  equal  pressure 
upon  all.  The  Son  doeth  nothing  but  what  he  hath  seen  the 
Father  do,^  nor  does  he  require  from  men  an  obedience  that 
he  himself  is  not  willing  to  render.  "Follow  Me,"  is  the 
Vv'atchword  of  his  mission. 

"To  Fulfil  All  Righteousness."— True,  baptism  is  "for 
the  remission  of  sins,"^  and  in  the  Savior  there  was  no  sin 
to  remit.  Why,  then,  was  he  baptized?  John  saw  this  point, 
when  Jesus  presented  himself  for  baptism ;  and  thai,  no 
doubt,  was  one  reason  why  he  demurred  to  the  request. 
Vve  cannot  impute  sin  to  the  Sinless,  but  we  are  in  duty 
bound  to  accept  and  obey  his  instruction.  He  did  not  say: 
Thus  it  becometh  Me  to  fulfill  all  righteousness.  He 
put  it  in  the  plural,  thus  giving  it  general  application. 

Baptism  Not  Done  Away. — Christ's  baptism,  whether 
for  original  sin — the  sin  of  the  world,  which  he  had  as- 
sumed— or  purely  as  an  example,  did  not  do  away  with  bap- 
tism, any  more  than  his  endurance  of  the  pangs  of  Adam's 
race^  obviated  human  suffering.  Men  and  women  still  suf- 
fer, notwithstanding  that  infinite  atonement.  All  must  be 
baptized  for  the  remission  of  their  own  sins,  notwithstand- 
ing the  baptism  of  "the  Lamb  of  God  which  taketh  away 
the  sin  of  the  world."^ 

Exempt  From  Baptism. — Little  children,  too  young 
to  have  sinned,  and  therefore  without  need  of  repentance, 


c,  John  5:19. 

d,  Mark  1:4;  Acts  2:38. 

e,  2  Nephi  9:21,  22. 

f,  John  1 :29. 


246  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

are  exempt  from  baptism,  and  it  is  a  sin  to  baptize  them, 
involving  as  it  does  the  vain  us.e  of  a  sacred  ordinance/ 
Redeemed  by  the  blood  of  Christ  from  the  foundation  of 
the  world,  their  innocence  and  purity  are  typical  of  the 
saved  condition  of  men  and  women,  who  must  become  like 
them  before  entering  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven.  As  chil- 
dren advance  in  years,  however,  they  become  account- 
able, and  must  then  yield  obedience  to  the  requirements  of 
the  Gospel/'  Eight  years  is  the  recognized  age  of  account- 
ability in  the  Church  of  Christ/ 

Redeemed  Without  Law. — There  is  another  class 
mentioned  in  sacred  writ,  for  whom,  in  the  language  of 
the  Book  of  Mormon,  ''baptism  availeth  nothing."  The 
"heathen  nations,"  who  "died  without  law,"  are  to  be  "re- 
deemed without  law,'  and  shall  "have  part  in  the  first 
resurrection."-^"  These,  however,  are  not  heirs  celestial. 
1  heirs  is  "the  glory  of  the  terrestrial"  in  the  great  King- 
dom of  the  Future. 

Vicarious  Ministrations. — So  necessary  is  baptism,  on 
the  part  of  all  capable  of  intelligent  obedience,  that 
the  Gospel  makes  provision  for  the  vicarious  baptism  of 
those  who  pass  away  without  undergoing  this  ordinance  for 
tliemselves.  Work  of  this  character,  when  divinely  au- 
thorized, is  acceptable  to  the  Lord;  a  fact  that  should  oc- 
casion little  wonder  in  Christian  minds,  when  it  is  re- 
membered that  the  whole  fabric  of  Christianity  rests  upon 
the  vicarious  work  wrought  by  Jesus  Christ  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  a  world  powerless  to  redeem  itself.  Men  cannot 
answer  by  proxy  for  the  deeds  done  in  the  body,  but  there 


g,  Moroni  8 :8-10,  19,  22. 

h,  Moses  6:55. 

I,  D.  &  C.  68:25-27. 

;.  Mosiah  3:11;  Moroni  8:22;  D.  &  C.  45:54;  lb.  76:72. 


THE  SECOND  BIRTH  247 

have  always  been  sacred  ceremonies  that  one  person  might 
perform  for  another.  Baptism  is  among;  them/^ 

For  the  Remission  of  Sins. — Baptism  is  the  divinely 
institnted  process  whereby  sins  are  remitted.  All  men  have 
sinned,  and  in  order  to  bring  them  back  into  God's  pure 
presence,  where  nothing  sinful  can  come,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  be  first  cleansed  from  sin.  Water  baptism  is  the 
beginning  of  the  cleansing  process. 

Means  and  Accessories. — Water,  in  and  of  itself, 
cannot  wash  away  sin ;  but  obedience,  typified  by  the  water, 
can  and  does,  when  the  ordinance  is  lawfully  and  prop- 
erly administered.'  The  case  of  Naaman  the  Syrian, 
cleansed  of  leprosy  by  dipping  seven  times  in  the  river 
Jordan,  is  often  cited  as  an  illustration.'"  It  was  not  the 
water  that  cured  Naaman,  but  his  obedience  to  the  Prophet 
who  had  told  him  to  dip  seven  times  in  that  particular 
stream.  Had  he  dipped  in  any  other  stream,  or  any  other 
number  of  times  but  just  seven,  his  disease  would  still 
have  clung  to  him.  But  he  did  as  he  had  been  directed, 
and  his  faith,  manifested  by  his  obedience,  worked  the 
cure,  bringing  down  the  power  of  God  for  that  purpose. 
The  water  was  only  the  medium  through  which  the  power 
operated.  Likewise,  when  Christ  anointed  the  eyes  of  the 
blind  man  with  clay,  causing  him  to  see,  it  was  faith  that 
wrought  the  miracle,  not  the  clay,  which  was  only  an  ac- 
cessory. It  is  the  same  with  consecrated  oil,  as  used  in  the 
healing  ordinance  of  the  Church." 

Effect  of  Baptism. — Baptism  cleanses  and  illumines 
the  soul,  and  it  is  by  water  and  by  Spirit  that  the  cleans- 
ing and  illumination  come.  They  are  indispensable  in  the 


k,  I  Cor.  15:29. 
I,  Moses  6:60. 
m,  2  Kings  5  :1-14. 
n,  James  5 :14,  15. 


248  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

process.  The  sick  can  be  healed  without  the  use  of  con- 
secrated oil,  or  even  without  the  laying  on  of  hands.  But 
no  sinner  can  be  baptized — cleansed  and  illumined — with- 
out  the   water   and   the    Spirit. 

Children  in  Christ. — The  effect  of  baptism  is  to  make 
men  and  women  childlike — not  in  ignorance,  nor  in  weak- 
ness, but  in  innocence  and  humility.  "Of  such  is  the  King- 
dom of  Heaven."  By  baptism,  following  faith  and  re- 
pentance and  administered  by  divine  authority,  the  soul 
is  ''born  again,"  and  is  typical,  in  its  infant-like  purity,  of 
the  soul  raised  to  immortality.  By  baptism  we  are  as  ef- 
fectually freed  from  sin,  as  by  death,  burial  and  resurrec- 
tion, the  mortal  is  changed  to  immortal  and  ushered  into 
a  new  existence.  Hence,  baptism  is  termed  ''the  washing 
of   regeneration."    Regeneration   means   "new   birth." 

Early  Christian  Views. — The  earliest  Christians  did 
not  doubt  the  necessity  of  baptism.  On  the  contrary,  they 
strongly  insisted  upon  it,  as  indispensable  to  a  saved  con- 
dition. During  the  Patristic  age — that  of  the  post-apostolic 
Fathers — the  conviction  that  no  soul  could  be  saved  with- 
out baptism  was  so  firm  that  it  led  to  pedobaptism — the 
baptism  of  infants — and  to  other  innovations  upon  the 
primitive  faith.  It  was  seen  that  infants,  could  not  beheve 
in  Christ,  nor  repent  of  sins  that  they  had  not  committed; 
but  it  was  held  that  the  Church,  or  those  who  stood  sponsor 
for  the  little  ones,  could  believe  for  them,  and  they  were 
baptized  for  original  sin,  the  sin  of  Adam,  which  they 
were  supposed  to  have  inherited.  Peter's  words  in  promis- 
ing the  Holy  Ghost,  "For  the  promise  is  unto  you  and  to 
your  children."^  were  construed  to  sustain  infant  baptism. 
It  was  even  assumed  that  the  Savior  authorized  it  in  say- 
ing, "Suffer  Httle  children  to  come  unto  me." 

o.  Acts  2:39. 


THE  SECOND  BIRTH  249 

Pedobaptism. — Holders  of  such  views  have  never  ex- 
plained why  infant  baptism  did  not  become  prevalent  until 
two  or  three  centuries  after  Christ ;  and  why  such  eminent 
Christians  of  the  fourth  century  as  Gregory  of  Nazianzum, 
the  son  of  a  bishop ;  Basil  the  Great  of  Cappadocia ; 
Chrysostom  of  Antioch,  and  Augustine  of  Numida — 
whose  mothers  were  pious  Christians — were  not  baptized 
until  they  were  over  thirty  years  of  age,  Paul's  affirma- 
tion that  "children  are  holy,"^  and  the  Savior's  declaration, 
"Of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God,"'? ^ are  a  sufficient  answer 
to  .the  assumption  that  children  under  the  age  of  account- 
ability have  need  to  be  baptized.  Those  who  introduced 
the  practice  of  baptizing  infants  for  original  sin,  over- 
looked or  were  blind  to  the  fact  that  Christ  atoned  for 
original  guilt,  and  that  men  are  accountable  for  their 
own  sins  and  not  for  Adam's  transgression. 

Other  Innovations. — One  innovation  led  to  another. 
Martyrs  who  had  shed  their  blood  in  defense  of  the  Church, 
or  for  its  sake,  but  had  never  confessed  Christ  nor  been 
baptized — what  of  them?  For  their  benefit  another  doc- 
trine was  introduced.  They  were  held  to  have  been  baptized 
in  their  own  blood.  Finally,  out  of  deference  to  the  claims 
of  a  far  more  numerous  class — worthy  men  and  women, 
many  of  whom  had  lived  and  died  before  the  Christian 
Church  was  founded,  while  others,  though  living  con- 
temporaneously with  it,  were  never  reached  by  its  mis- 
sionaries— the  idea  gradually  obtained  that  baptism  was  not 
essential  to  salvation.  All  this  might  have  been  obviated, 
and  the  Church  spared  much  ridicule  and  skepticism,  the 
result  of  its  rambling  inconsistencies,  had  it  kept  the  key 
to  the  situation — Baptism  for  the  Dead. 


/>,  1  Cor.  7:14. 

q,  Mark  10:14;  Luke  18:16. 


250  PO  J  VERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

Gradual  Growth  of  a  Heresy. — The  idea  that  baptism 
is  non-essential  did,  not  become  fixed  and  popular  until 
many  centuries  after  the  Apostles  ''fell  asleep."  Saint 
Augustine,  who  figured  in  the  latter  part  of  the  fourth 
and  in  the  first  half  of  the  fifth  century  after  Christ,  and 
v»Aho  advanced  the  notion  that  water  baptism  was  ''the  out- 
ward sign  of  an  inward  grace,"  held,  nevertheless,  that  no 
soul  could  be  saved  without  it — not  even  infants ;  though 
their  condemnation,  resulting  from  non-baptism,  would  be 
of  the  mildest  character.  Augustine's  concept  of  baptism, 
with  some  modifications,  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  and  of  the  orthodox  Protestant  churches 
at  the  present  time.  Luther  held  baptism  to  be  essential  to 
salvation;  Calvin  and  Zwingli  did  not;  and  there,  in  the 
sixteenth  century,  it  appears,  began  the  schism  of  opinion 
concerning  it  that  divides  Christendom  today. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-THREE. 
Meaning    And  Mode  Of  Baptism. 

The  Lesser  Suggests  the  Greater. — When  Jesus  told 
Nico'denms  that  man  must  be  born  of  Water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  virtually  declared  the  meaning  of  baptism  and 
prescribed  the  mode  of  its  administration.  It  was  to  pre- 
pare the  way  before  a  greater  principle,  that  Christ  taught 
and  exemplified  the  principle  of  baptism.  He  compared  it 
to  birth,  the  entry  into  mortal  life;  and  this  pointed  to 
resurrection,  the  entry  into   immortal  glory. 

Men's  minds,  therefore,  should  be  ready  to  receive 
something  suggestive  of  birth  and  resurrection,  in  the 
ceremony  authorized  by  the  Son  of  God  as  the  means  of 
admission  into  his  Kingdom.  This  suggestion  is  fully 
realized  in  the  true  formJ  of  the  baptismal  ordinance,  name- 
ly, immersion — going  down  into  the  water  and  coming  up 
out  of  the  water,  in  the  similitude  of  burial  and  resur- 
rection, of  birth  into  a  higher  life. 

The  Proper  Form. — That  immersion  was  the  form 
ct  the  ordinance  introduced  by  John  the  Baptist,  submitted 
to  by  the  Savior,  and  perpetuated  by  his  Apostles,  is  a 
plain  and  reasonable  inference  from  the  teachings  of  the 
New  Testament.  Jesus,  when  about  to  be  baptized,  must 
have  gone  down  into  the  water;  for  after  baptism,  he  "went 
up  straightway  out  of  the  water."«  When  Philip  baptized 
the  Eunuch,  "they  went  down  both  into  the  water."^  John 
baptized  "in  Aenon.  near  to  Salim^i  because  there  was 
much  water  there"^ — another  proof  presumptive  of  immer- 


a,  Matt.  3:16. 

b,  Acts  8:38. 

c,  John  3  :23. 


252  FOIVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

sion,  the  only  mode  requiring  ''much  water"   for  its   per- 
formance. 

If  this  had  not  been  the  proper  form,  Paul  would  not 
have  compared  baptism  to  burial  and  resurrection;'^  nor 
would  he  have  recognized  as  baptism  the  passage  of  the 
Israelites  through  the  Red  Sea/  Note  also  his  words  to 
the  Corinthians  relative  to  vicarious  baptism  and  in  support 
of  resurrection,  a  doctrine  that  some  of  them  denied:  "Else 
what  shall  they  do  which  are  baptized  for  the  dead,  if  the 
dead  rise  not  at  all?  Why  are  they  then  baptiz-ed  for  the 
dead?"^  In  other  words,  why  use  the  symbol  of  the  resur- 
rection, if  there  be  no  resurrection — if  the  symbol  does 
not  symbolize? 

Additional  Evidence. — In  addition  to  what  the  Bible 
tells,  we  have  the  statements  of  archaeologists  and  his- 
torians, to  the  effect  that  baptism,  in  the  first  ages  of 
Christianity,  was  a  dipping  or  submersion  in  water.  This, 
ir  fact,  as  philologists  testify,  is  the  meaning  of  the  Greek 
word  from  which  the  English  word  "baptism"  is  derived. 
Ancient  baptisteries  and  other  monumental  remains  in 
Asia,  Africa  and  Europe,  show  that  immersion  was  the 
act  of  baptism.  The  Christian  churches  of  the  Orient — 
Greek,  Russian,  Armenian,  Nestorian,  Coptic  and  others, 
have  always  practiced  immersion  and  allow  nothing  else 
for  baptism.  The  Western  churches  preserved  this  form 
for  thirteen  centuries,  and  then  gradually  introduced  pour- 
ing or  sprinkling — ceremonies-  in  no  way  symbolical  of 
birth  and  resurrection,  and  therefore  not  in  harmony  with 
the  divine   purpose   for  which  baptism  was   instituted. 

Clinic  Baptism. — Baptisms  by  pouring  or  sprinkling 
were  exceptional  in  the  early  ages  of  the  Christian  Church. 


d,  Rom.  6:3-5;  Col.  2:12. 

e,  1  Cor.  10:1,  2. 

f,  lb.  15:29. 


MEANING  AND  MODE  OF  BAPTISM  253 

They  were  called  clinic  baptisms,  because  administered  as 
a  rule  to  the  sick,  who  could  not  be  taken  from  their  beds 
to  be  immersed;  but  they  were  rare,  and  were  regarded 
only  as  quasi-baptisms.^ 

Immersion  Made  Optional. — Baptism  by  immersion 
was  practiced  regularly  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  until 
t?ie  year  1311,  when  the  Council  of  Ravenna  authorized  a 
change,  leaving  it  optional  with  the  officiating  minister  to 
baptize  either  by  immersion  or  by  sprinkling.  Even  infants 
were  baptized  by  immersion  until  about  the  end  of  the 
thirteenth  century  when  sprinkling  came  into  common 
use. 

Luther  and  Calvin. — Luther  favored  immersion  and 
sought,  against  the  tendency  of  the  times,  to  restore  it ; 
but  Calvin,  while  admitting  that  the  word  ''baptism"  means 
immersion,  and  that  this  was  certainly  the  practice  of  the 
ancient  Church,  held  that  the  mode  was  of  no  consequence. 
A  Greater  than  Calvin,  however,  had  decreed  otherwise, 
and  had  set  the  example  that  all  were  to  follow. 

Modern  Methods. — Pouring  is  the  present  practice  in 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church ;  sprinkling  in  the  Church 
of  England  and  in  the  Methodist  Church.  A  choice  of 
modes  is  permitted  by  the  Presbyterians,  though  sprinkling 
is  the  regular  form.  The  Baptists  as  their  name  implies,  are 
strong  advocates  of  immersion.  The  Quakers  repudiate 
baptism  altogether. 

The  Authorized  Practice. — The  Church  of  Jesus 
Christ  of  Latter-day  Saints  has  but  one  form  of  baptism — 
the  one  authorized  by  the  Savior  and  practiced  by  his 
Apostles,  namely,  baptism  by  immersion  for  the  remission 
01  sins.''  The  Church  derives  its  knowleds:e  of  this  sacred 


g,  The   first   recorded   case   of   clinic  baptism   is   mentioned  by 
Eusebius  as  having  occurred  in  the  third  century. 
h,  3  Nephi  11:23-29. 


254  PC) II  ERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

oidinance,  not  mainly  from  the  lUble,  nor  from  the  Book 
of  Mormon,  nor  from  any  other  record.  It  came  by  direct 
revelation  to  Joseph  the  Seer,  restoring  that  which  was 
lest.  Brushing  aside  the  dust  and  cobwebs  of  tradition 
concealing  the  precious  jewel  of  truth,  he  brought  back 
the  knowledge  of  the  "one  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism"  of 
the  ancients.*' 

Baptism  and  Resurrection. — Baptism  was  made  uni- 
versal, an-d  became  the  doorway  to  the  Church  of  Christ, 
the  Kingdom  of  God  on  earth,  because  it  represents  resur- 
rection, which  is  likewise  universal  and  without  which  no 
man  can  enter  into  the  Celestial  Kingdom.  Christ,  the 
great  Exemplar  of  baptism,  was  the  first  to  rise  from  the 
dead.  It  was  fitting,  therefore,  that  he  should  undergo 
the  ordinance  symbolizing  the  mighty  fact  for  which  he 
stands — redemption  from  the  grave  and  eternal  life  be- 
yond. 

Symbolical  of  the  Soul. — Baptism  is  twofold,  corre- 
s])onding  to  its  subject,  the  soul,  which  is  both  spiritual 
and  temporal.  The  body  is  represented  by  the  water ;  the 
spirit  by  the  Holy  Ghost.  Both  are  essential  in  the  process, 
since  it  is  not  the  body  alone,  nor  the  spirit  alone,  that  is 
baptized,  but  body  and  spirit  in  one.  Consequently,  baptism 
is  administered  in  a  temporal  world,  where  body  and  spirii 
can)  both  be  present,  and  where  the  watery  element 
abounds.  A  person  can  believe  and  repent  in  the  spirit 
world,  but  cannot  be  baptized  there.  This  makes  neces- 
sary baptism  by  proxy. 

The  Blood  that  Cleanseth. — In  reality  there  are  three 
factors  in  baptism — ^the  Spirit,  the  Water  and  the  Blood. 
Only  two  of  them  are  used  in  the  ceremony.  But  without 
the  atoning  blood  of  Christ,  there  could  be  no  baptism  of  a 

/,  Eph.  4:5. 


MEANING  AND  MODE  OF  BAPTISM  255 

saving  character.     Hence  it  is  written:  ''The  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  .  .  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."-'' 

Three  in  One. — The  Water  and  the  Spirit,  represent- 
ing earth  and  heaven,  are  made  effectual  by  the  Blood. 
Man  and  God  are  thus  reconciled,  Christ  being-  the  recon- 
ciler. There  are  thred  that  bear  record  in  heaven — the 
Father,  the  Son  and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  there  are  three 
that  bear  witness  on  earth — the  Spirit,  the  Water  and 
the  Blood.  Each  group  corresponds  to  the  other;  each 
three  agree  in  one.  Therefore,  when  a  soul  is  baptized, 
it  must  be  by  Water  and  by  Spirit,  made  effectual  by 
Blood,  and  in  the  name  of  the  Father  and  of  the  Son  and 
of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

A  Divine  Exegesis — The  Lord  explained  this  princi- 
ple to  Adam  thus:  "Inasmuch  as  ye  were  born  into  the 
world  by  water  and  blood  and  the  spirit,  which  I  have 
n:ade,  and  so  became  of  dust  a  living  soul,  even  so  ye 
must  be  born  again  into  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  of 
water  and  of  the  spirit,  and  be  cleansed  by  blood,  even 
the  blood  of  mine  Only  Begotten;  that  ye  might  be 
sanctified  from  all  sin,  and  enjoy  the  words  of  eternal  life 
in  this  world,  and  eternal  life  in  the  world  to  come,  even 
immortal  glory: 

''For  by  the  Water  ye  keep  the  commandment;  by 
the  Spirit  ye  are  justified,  and  by  the  Blood  ye  are  sancti- 
fied."^ 

The  Mediator. — Spirit,  Water  and  Blood — the  three 
elements  of  baptism — were  combined  in  the  person  of 
Jesus  Christ,  when  baptized  by  John  in  the  Jordan.  Stand- 
ing upon  the  river's  brink,  his  sacred  form  dripping  with 

/.  1  John  1 :7. 

k,  Moses  6 :59,  60. 


256  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

tiie  waters  from  which  he  had  just  emerged,  he  was 
crowned  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  descending  upon  him  from 
above.  Yet  it  was  necessary  that  his  blood  should  be  shed, 
in  order  that  the  Spirit  might  come  in  full  force  unto 
his  disciples.  Not  until  the  Mediator  had  hung  between 
lieaven  and  earth,  were  the  Apostles  endued  with  power 
from  on  High.  Then  it  was  that  the  Spirit  of  God  moved 
with  full  effect  upon  the  waters  of  this  world,  coming, 
as  in  the  first  instance,  that  there  might  be  a  creation, 
a  new  birth,  a  regeneration  for  the  human  race. 

Immersion  in  the  Spirit. — So  much  stress  being  laid 
upon  immersion,  and  upon  the  twofold  character  of 
baptism,  one  may  be  led  to  inquire:  Why  is  it  not  an  im- 
mersion in  the  Spirit  as  well  as  in  the  Water?  To  which 
I  answer:  Is  it  not  so?  When  John  the  Baptist,  proclaim- 
ing the  Christ,  said,  'T  indeed  have  baptized  you  with 
water,  but  he  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost,"^  it 
was  baptism  in  each  instance,  and  baptism  signifies  im- 
mersion.*" 

The  Laying  on  of  Hands. — The  Holy  Ghost  is  im- 
parted by  the  laying  on  of  hands."  Possibly  thisi  cere- 
mony was  intended  to  typify  the  glorious  baptism  that 
Earth  will  undergo  when  the  Spirit  is  poured  out  upon 
lier  from  on  High.  The  laying  on  of  hands  for  the  giv- 
ing of  the  Holy  Ghost  was  an  ordinance  in  the  Chris- 
Lian  Church  for  centuries.  Cyprian  mentions  it  in  the  third 
century ;  Augustine  in  the  fourth.  Gradually,  however,  it 
began    to   be    neglected,    until    finally    somej   of '  the    sects 


/,  Mark  1 :8. 

in,  President  Lorenzo  Snow,  in  describing  the  effect  of  the 
Spirit  upon  himself,  after  his  baptism  in  water,  says:  "It  was  a  com- 
plete baptism — a  tangible  immersion  in  the  heavenly  principle  or 
element,  the  Holy  Ghost." — Improvement  Era,  June,  1919,  p.  654. 

n.  Acts  8:17. 


MEANING  AND  MODE  OF  BAPTISM  257 

discarded  it    while  others,  retaining,  the  forn,,  "denied  tlK- 
power  thereof. 

The  Fathers  Understood.-The  Greek  fathers  of  the 

Cintrch  held  correct  ideas  concerning  baptism.  They  tern.ed 

t     nmiafon      from  ns  introductory  character;  "regenera- 

t.on,     fron,  ,ts  being  regarded  as  a  new  birth     "the  gre  c 

c.rcnmc,s,on,     because  it  was  held  to  have  superseded  the 

";:;r;r°";  r  "^  f°^^'=  ■-^■-  ^'^  '-niunition'  a  d 

the  gitt  of  the  Lord.'" 

Censured  for  Truth's  Sake.-The  Greek  Christians  of 
he  early  centuries,  like  the  Saints  of  New  Testamen    t^mes 

t   eT  V  :    r  "™^^'°"  °'  ^'"^-  ^^^>'  '--  been  cen' 
o     w.te  t  "T    '°'   "^^Sniiying   the   importance 

of  water  bapt.sn,,  and  at  the  same  time  insisting  on  the 
purely  eth.cal  or  spiritual     nature  of  the  rite;     for  con 

-"d.ng  the  sig.,  with  the  thing  signified,  th     act  on     f 
the  water  w,th  the  action  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  proces    o 
regeneration.  But  they  were  not  anv  n,nr.  •     .^  °''^^'  °^ 
.!„,„         •  ,      ,  ^        ^  "o"^  ^"y  more  insistent  uDon 

these  points  than  the  Apostles  themselves 

Augustine's  Theory._St.  Augustine  is  complimented 
bj    the   same   critics   for     formulating     the     first     strir! 
sc.nt.  ic  theoo^^of  the  nature  and  effects  of  ^Ipt Im    H 
ore  V    ,   3harp  distinction   between   "the   outward   si^^n"- 
water  baptism-and  the  inward  change  of  heart  re  t,   in. 
-om  the  operation   of  the   Holy  Ghost.   Yet   eve     hi: 
charged   wit      laying  too  much   stress   upon   th     v  1^ 
the  outward  sign,"  which  he  held  to  be  essential  to  salva 
.on._  Protestant   theologians   have   been   commenced      for 
■■eepn^g  the  "sign"  in  due  subordination  to  "the  thing  signi- 

God,  and  to  have  coZiZTd.l^lZhZ'ZT''  ""'^  '"''  '" 

communion  with  the  Church  of VhrW    n  i  ,  Preparation  fo 

ment  of  the  Lord'c  <;„""' .j°Vh''."5t-.  Only  to  .snch  was  the  s.-,rr.-, 


ment  of  the  Lord's  Supper  administered."'"-'  "'  """  '™'  ""=  '^"''- 


238  PO 1 1  ERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

lied,"   for  justifying  themselves  by  faith,  and  ignoring  to 
a  great  extent  outward  ordinances. 

But  the  Greek  Christians,  whatever  their  defects, 
were  nearer  right  than  St.  Augustine,  and  St.  Augustine 
was  nearer  right  than  the  Protestant  theologians  who  fol- 
lowed him.  Baptism,  as  taught  in  the  New  Testament,  is 
not  the  mere  "outward  sign  of  an  inward  grace."  The 
ciction  of  the  water  and  the  action  of  the  Spirit  are  not 
to  be  separated  in  any  analysis  of  the  nature]  and  ef- 
fects of  baptism.  Both  are  essential  in  the  soul-cleansing, 
soul-enlightening  process. 

A  Symbol  of  Creation. — Every  baptism,  every  resur- 
rection, implies  a  birth.  No  seed  germinates  until  it  dies,  or 
appears  to  die,  and  is  buried.  The  gardener  plants  that 
there  may  be  a  springing  forth  of  new  life  from  the  germ 
of  the  old.^  Coming  into  this  world  involves  departure 
out  of  a  previous  world,  and  burial  here  implies  birth 
hereafter.  The  sun  sets  upon  the  Eastern  hemisphere  to 
rise  upon  the  Western,  and  sets  upon  the  Western  to  rise 
upon  the  Eastern.  The  setting  and!  rising  of  the  sun ; 
sleep  followed  by  waking;  winter  with  its  icy  fetters  and 
snowy  shroud,  succeeded  by  spring  in  garments  of 
green,  with  bright  flowers,  singing  birds  and  laughing 
streams ;  all  these  suggest  baptism,  for  they  symbolize 
birth,   burial  and   resurrection. 

Begotten  and  Born  of  God. — We  have  a  Father  and  a 
^.lother  in  heaven,  in  whose  imac^'e  w^e  were  created,  male 
and  female.  We  were  begotten  and  born  in  the  spirit  be- 
fore we  were  begotten  and  l:orn  in  the  flesh  ;  and  we 
must  be  begotten  and  born  again,  in  the  similitude  of  those 
earlier  begeitings  an<l  l^rths,  or  we  cannot  regain  the  pres- 
ence of  our  eternal  leather  and  Mother. 


p,  1  Cor.  15:35-44. 


MEANING  AND  MODE  OF  BAPTISM  259 

Babes  in  Christ-Baptism  signifies  the  creation  of 
souls  for  the  Kingdom  of  God.  The  one  who  baptizes  is 
the  spiritual  progenitor  of  the  one  baptized.  This  is  why 
the  Apostles  referred  to  those  who  received  baptism  at 
U^eir  hands  as  "children  of  my  begetting,"  "babes  in 
Christ,  to  he  fed  "the  milk"  before  "the  meat  of  the 
word  .  To  baptize  is  to  perform  spiritually  the  functions 
o.  fatherhood  Motherhood  is  symbolized  by  the  baptismal 
font.  Hence,  baptism  must  be  by  divine  authority,  must 
have  Gods  sanction  upon  it.  Heavenly  and  earthly  pow- 
ers must  join,  must  be  wedded  for  the  bringing  forth  of 
he  redeemed  soul;  otherwise,  the  baptism  will  be  unlaw- 
llie  bn-th  Illegitimate,  the  act  of  begetting  a  sin.  Bap- 
t.Mus  hlce  marriages,  performed  without  divine  authority 
will  have  no  effect  "when  men  are  dead." 

Suggestive  Symbolism.-The  significance  of  baptism 
and  the  very  form  of  the  ceremony  are  suggested  by  the 

Trtl  T  ?"""  ""''"'  ^''°''  descent  ^from  heaven 
to  earth  and  whose  ascent  from  earth  to  heaven,  are  the 
sum  and  substance  of  the  Gospel  Story.  Descending  below 
and  r.ing  above-such  was  his  experience  from  the  time 
^e  left  his  celestial  throne  to  the  time  he  returend  to  his 
gmrious  exaltation.  Is  it  not  possible  that  the  sacred  ordin- 
evem  r  r'""'  '''f  '"''"^"^'  '"  ^^'^'^^''^^  *^t  ^-°"derful 
man.  Was  it  not  instituted  in  anticipation  and  as  a 
niemorial  of  that  mighty  Birth,  with  its  mortal  buri  .1 
and  Its  immortal  resurrection? 

A  Watery  World.-Moreover,  in  the  symbolism  of 
tne  .Scriptures,  this  world  is  represented  by  water  ^  'All 
■huxgs  are  water,"  said  the  Greek  Thales.  .At  the  very  d.un 

?,  1  Cor.  3:1,2;     Heb.  5:13    14 
r.Dan.  7;   Rev.   13,   17. 


260  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

ol  creation,  Spirit  and  Water,  the  two  elements  used  in 
baptism,  were  both  present — the  one  creative,  the  other 
cieateable/  "Let  the  dry  land  appear!"  The  very  words 
suggest  baptism,  birth,  creation — the  emergence  of  an 
infant  planet  from  the  womb  of  the  waters.  And  when  the 
Almighty  was  about  to  send  the  Flood,  he  said  to  Noah, 
concerning  the  wicked:  "Behold,  I  will  destroy  them  with 
the  earth. "^  Did  he  mean  the  watery  element  which 
enters  so  largely  into     the  composition  of  the  earth? 

A  Double  Doorway. — Water  represents  the  temporal 
part  of  creation,  including  the  body  or  mortal  part  of  man. 
Baptism  therefore,  in  its  twofold  character,  suggests  the 
passing  out  from  this  watery  world  into  the  spirit  world, 
and  thence  by  resurrection  into  eternal  glory.  It  is  only  a 
suggestion,  but  it  emphasizes  for  me  the  reason  why  the 
doorway  to  the  Church  and  Kingdom  of  God  is  a  double 
doorway,  a  dual  birth,  a  baptism  of  Water  and  of  the 
Spirit. 


s,  Gen.  1 :2. 
t,  lb.  6:13. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-FOUR. 
The  Gospel's  Accessories. 

Many  Ways  to  the  Heart. — There  is  only  one  way  into 
the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  but  there  are  many  ways  into  the 
human  heart ;  and  the  Church  of  Christ,  in  its  mission  of 
promulgating-  truth  and  turning  souls  to  righteousness,  has 
legitimate  use  for  every  avenue  to  that  heart.  Poetry,  music, 
art  in  general,  as  well  as  science  and  philosophy — all  these 
can  be  utilized  as  auxiliaries  in  the  carrying  on  of  the 
Lord's  manifold  work.  They  may  not  be  essential  parts  of 
the  divine  message,  but  they  prepare  the  way  for  its  ac- 
ceptance and  are  the  forerunners  of  greater  things.  This, 
to  my  thinking,  is  the  main  reason  why  they  are  in  the 
world.  There  is  something  purifying,  ennobling,  exalting, 
in  all  true  poetry,  true  music,  real  science  and  genuine 
philosophy. 

The  Poet's  Mission. — "The  poets  of  the  world,"  says 
the  poetic  Dr.  Holland,  ''are  the  prophets  of  humanity. 
They  forever  reach  after  and  foresee  the  ultimate  good. 
They  are  evermore  building  the  paradise  that  is  to  be, 
painting  the  millennium  that  is  to  come,  restoring  the  lost 
image  of  God  in  the  human  soul.  When  the  world  shall 
reach  the  poet's  ideal,  it  will  arrive  at  perfection ;  and 
much  good  will  it  do  the  world  to  measure  itself  by  this 
ideal  and  struggle  to  lift  the  real  to  its  lofty  level."" 

In  the  light  of  such  a  noble  utterance,  how  paltry  the 
ordinary  concept  of  the  poet  as  a  mere  verse-builder.  His 
true  mission  is  to  exalt  the  ideal,  and  encourage  the  list- 


a,  Lessons  in  Life,  by  Timothy  Titcomb   (J.  G.  Holland)— Les- 
son 22,  "The  Poetic  Test." 


262  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

less  or  struggling-  real  to  advance  toward  it  and  eventually 
attain  perfection. 

Dreamers  and  Builders. — In  this  age  of  money-w^or- 
slu]),  the  poet  is  often  referred  to,  and  at  times  even  ridi- 
culed, as  a  "dreamer."  But  the  ridicule,  when  applied  to 
a  real  poet,  a  true  son  or  daughter  of  the  Muses,  is  point- 
less. The  poet  is  a  dreamer ;  but  so  is  the  architect  and  the 
projector  of  railroads.  All  creative  minds  are  dreamful, 
iniag-inative,  poetic.  Were  it  otherwise,  nothing  worth  while 
would  be  created.  If  there  were  no  dreamers,  there  would 
be  no  builders.  Both  are  necessary  to  progress.  Every  art 
and  every  science  has  its  share  of  poetic  idealism,  of  poetic 
enthusiasm,  and  must  have  it,  in  order  to  achieve  best  re- 
sults. 

Well  worthy  of  a  place  beside  Doctor  Holland's  beauti- 
ful thought  on  poets  and  their  ideals,  is  the  following  senti- 
ment on  dreamers,  from  the  pen  of  the  popular  essayist, 
James  Allen:  '*As  the  visible  world  is  sustained  by  the  in- 
visible, so  men,  through  all  their  trials  and  sins  and  sordid 
vocations,  are  nourished  by  the  beautiful  visions  of  their 
solitary  dreamers.  Humanity  cannot  forg'et  its  dreamers; 
it  cannot  let  their  ideals  fade  and  die ;  it  lives  in  them ;  it 
knows  them  as  the  realities  which  it  shall  one  day  see  and 
know.  Composer,'  sculptor,  painter,  poet,  prophet,  sage, 
these  are  the  makers  of  the  after-world,  the  architects  of 
heaven.  The  world  is  beautiful  because  they  have  lived; 
without  them,  laboring  humanity  would  perish."* 

Poets  and  Prophets. — Poets  are  prophets  of  a  lesser 
deg"ree ;  and  the  prophets  are  the  mightiest  of  the  poets. 
They  hold  the  key  to  the  symbolism  of  the  universe,  and 
they  alone  are  qualified  to  interpret  it. 


h,  As  a  Man  Thinketh,  "Visions  and  Ideals." 


THE  GOSPEL'S  ACCESSORIES  263 

Prophets,  mightiest  of  the  poets, 
Thej^  to  whom   the   Gods  tell  secrets, 
Doing  naught  till  true  revealings 
Have  made  wise  their  trusted  servants, 
Who   in  turn   make   wise  the   people; 
Bringing  past  and   future  present 
For  the  betterment  of  all  men, 
Earth  for  every  change  preparing 
On  her  pilgrimage  to  glory.^ 

Rhymes  and  Rhymesters. — There  are  rhymesters  who 
are  neither  poets  nor  prophets ;  and  there  are  prophets  and 
poets  who  never  build  a  verse  nor  make  a  rhyme.  Rhyme  is 
no  essential  element  of  poetry.  Versification  is  an  art  used 
by  the  poet  to  make  his  thought  more  attractive.  The 
rhyme  pleases  the  ear  and  helps  the  sentiment  to  reach 
the  heart — a  ticket  of  admission,  as  it  were.  A  musical 
instrument  is  painted  and  gilded,  not  to  improve  its  melodic 
01  harmonic  powers,  but  to  make  it  beautiful  to  the  eye, 
while  its  music  appeals  to  the  ear  and  charms  the  soul. 
Rhyme  sustains  about  the  same  relation  to  poetry,  as  paint 
or  gold  leaf  to  the  piano  or  organ.  Clothing  adds  nothing 
to  one's  stature,  to  one's  mental  or  moral  worth;  but  it 
enables  one  to  appear  well  in  society.  "The  apparel"  may 
"proclaim,"  but  it  does  not  make  "the  man."  Neither  does 
rhyme  make  poetry. 

The  Essence  of  Poetry.— The  essence  of  poetry  is  its 
idealism,  its  symbolism.  The  Creator  has  built  his  universe 
upon  symbols,  the  lesser  suggesting  and  leading  up  to  the 
greater ;  and  the  poetic  faculty— possessed  in  fulness  by  the 
prophet— recognizes  and  interprets  them.  "All  things  have 
their  likeness.'^  All  creations  testify  of  their  creator.  Thev 


c.  Love  and  the  Light,"  p.  68. 

d,  Moses  6:63. 


264  POirilRS  JA7)  PRINCIPLES 

point  to  something  above  and  beyond  themselves.  That  is 
why  poetry  of  the  highest  order  is  always  prophetic  or 
infinitely  suggestive ;  and  that  is  why  the  poet  is  a  prophet, 
and  why  there  is  such  a  thing  as  poetic  prose. 

"Consider  the  lilies  of  the  field,  how  they  grow.  They 
toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin;  and  yet  I  say  unto  you,  that 
even  Solomon,  in  all  his  glory  was  not  arrayed  like  one 
of  these."'^ 

That  is  poetry,  real  poetry,  full  of  rhythm,  yet  having 
no  rhyme. 

Above  and  Beyond. — Anything  is  poetic  that  suggests 
something  greater  than  itself.  The  liHes  of  the  field  sug- 
gested to  the  Savior's  poetic  mind  the  glory  of  Solomon. 
Tie  used  them  as  a  means  of  instilling  into  the  minds  of  his 
doubting  disciples  the  great  lesson  of  trust  in  Providence. 

Man,  fashioned  in  the  divine  image,  suggests  God, 
and  is  therefore  "a  symbol  of  God,"  as  Carlyle  affirms./' 
But  Joseph  Smith  said  it  first  and  more  fully.  He  declared 
God  to  be  "An  Exalted  Man."  To  narrow  minds,  this  is 
blasphemy.  To  the  broad-minded,  it  is  poetry — poetry  of 
the  sublimest  type. 

Poetic  Ordinances. — The  bread  and  water  used  in  the 
sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  represent  something 
greater  than  those  emblems — something  above  and  beyond, 
"i'he  whole  sacred  ceremony  is  a  poem  in  word  and  action. 

The  same  is  true  of  Baptism,  which  stands  for  birth, 
creation,  burial  and  resurrection.  Fatherhood  and  mother- 
hood are  both  symbolized  in  the  baptismal  ordinance,  the 
true  form  of  which  is  immersion.  Any  deviation  from  thac 
mode  destroys  its  poetic  suggestiveness,   its  symbolism. 

e,  Matt.  6:28,  29;  Lnke  12:27. 

f,  Sartor   Rcsartns,   3,   "Symbols." 


THE  COSPEUS  ACCESSORIES  265 

The  Greatest  Poet  and  Prophet.— Jesus  Christ,  the 
grreatest  of  all  prophets,  was  likewise  the  greatest  of  all 
poets.  He  comprehended  the  universe  and  its  symbolism 
as  no  one  else  ever  did  or  could.  He  knew  it  through  and 
through.  What  wonder?  Had  he  not  created  it,  and  was 
it  not  made  to  bear  record  of  him?^  He  taught  in  poetic 
parables,  taking  simple  things  as  types  of  greater  things, 
and  teaching  lessons  that  lead  the  mind  upward  towards 
the  ideal,  towards  perfection.  The  Gospel  of  Christ  is  re- 
I)lete  with  poetry.  It  is  one  vast  poem  from  beginning  to 
end. 

What  of  Philosophy — "Philosophy  is  the  account 
which  the  human  mind  gives  to  itself  of  the  constitution 
of  the  world."  So  says  that  great  modern  philosopher, 
Kalph  Waldo  Emerson.''  In  Article  Eleven  T  have  pointed 
out  the  similarity  between  Plato's  concept  of  causes  that 
produced  the  universe,  and  Joseph  Smith's  teaching  upon 
the  origin  and  purpose  of  the  great  plan  of  eternal  pro- 
gression. But  Joseph  did  not  gtt  his  philosophy  from 
Plato.  He  had  it  directly  from  the  divine  Source  of  Plato's 
inspiration.  There  is  no  plagiarism  in  this  semi-paralleling 
of  a  sublime  thought.  In  like  manner  Confucius  taught,  in  a 
negative  way,  the  Golden  Rule,  afterwards  taught  af- 
firmatively and  more  fully  by  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Truth, 
whether  uttered  by  ancient  sage  or  by  modern  seer,  is 
worthy  of  all  acceptance. 

Emerson  on  ''Compensation."— Few  things  of  a  philo- 
sophic nature  appeal  to  me  more  strongly  than  Emerson's 
great  essay  on  "Compensation."  Says  that  master  of 
thought  and  expression : 

S,  Moses  6:63. 

//,  Representative  Men,  Plato,  p.  51. 


266  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

''Every  excess  causes  a  defect;  every  defect  an  ex- 
cess. Every  sweet  hath  its  sour,  every  evil  its  good.  Every 
faculty  which  is  a  receiver  of  pleasure,  has  an  equal  penalty 
put  on  its  abuse.  It  is  to  answer  for  its  moderation  with  its 
life." 

''Nature  hates  monopolies  and  exceptions.  The  waves 
of  the  sea  do  not  more  speedily  seek  a  level  from  their 
loftiest  tossing,  than  the  varieties  of  conditions  tend  to 
equalize  themselves.  There  is  always  some  leveling  cir- 
cumstance that  puts  down  the  overbearing,  the  strong,  the 
rich,  the  fortunate,  substantially  on  the  same  ground  with 
all  others." 

"The  fanner  imagines  power  and  place  are  fine  things. 
PJut  the  President  has  paid     dear  for  his  White  House." 

"The  cheat,  the  defaulter,  the  gambler,  cannot  extort 
the  benefit,  cannot  extort  the  knowledge  of  material  and 
moral  nature  which  his  honest  care  and  pains  yield  to  the 
operative.  The  law  of  nature  is,  Do  the  thing,  and  you 
shall  have  the  power ;  but  they  who  do  not  the  thing 
have  not  the  power." 

"As  the  royal  armies  sent  against  Napoleon,  when  he 
approached,  cast  down  their  colors  and  from  enemies  be- 
came friends,  so  do  disasters  of  all  kinds,  as  sickness,  of- 
fense,  poverty,   prove   benefactors." 

"Our  strength  grows  out  of  our  weakness.  Not  until 
we  are  pricked  and  stung  and  sorely  shot  at,  awakens  the 
indignation  which  arms  itself  with  secret  '  forces.  .  . 
Blame  is  safer  than  praise." 

"The  history  of  persecution  is  a  history  of  endeavors 
:o  cheat  nature,  to  make  water  run  up  hill,  to  twist  a  rope 
of  sand.  .  .  The  martyr  cannot  be  dishonored.  Every  lash 
inflicted  is  a  tongue  of     fame;     every     prison  a  more  il- 


THE  GOSPELS  ACCESSORIES  267 

lustrious  abode;  every  burned  book  or  house  enlightens 
the  world.  .  .  It  is  the  whipper  who  is  whipped,  and  the 
t}Tant  who  is  undone." 

''The  changes  which  break  up  at  short  inter\-als  the 
prosperity  of  men,  are  advertisements  of  a  nature  whose 
law  is  growth.  .  .  We  cannot  part  with  our  friends.  We 
cannot  let  our  angels  go.  We  do  not  see  that  they  only  go 
out,   that  archangels   may   come   in." 

"The  death  of  a  dear  friend,  wife,  brother,  lover, 
which  seemed  nothing  but  privation,  somewhat  later  as- 
sumes the  aspect  of  a  guide  or  genius:  for  it  commonly 
operates  revolutions  in  our  vray  of  life,  terminates  an 
epoch  of  infancy  or  of  youth  which  was  waiting  to  be 
closed,  breaks  up  a  wonted  occupation,  or  a  household,  or 
style  of  living,  and  allows  the  formation  of  new  ones  more 
friendly  to  the  growth  of  character."  .  .  And  the  man  or 
vroman  who  would  have  remained  a  sunny  garden  flower, 
with  no  room  for  its  roots  and  too  much  sunshine  for  its 
head,  by  the  falling  of  the  walls  and  the  neglect  of  the 
gardener,  is  made  the  banian  of  the  forest  >-ielding  shade 
and  fruit  to  wide  neighborhoods  of  men."' 

Divers  Teachers. — Philosophy,  like  poetry,  wins  its 
way,  where  Truth's  fulness,  preached  in  power,  might  of- 
fend. The  plain  blunt  message  of  the  prophet  who  comes 
proclaiming,  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,"  repels  and  antagonizes 
many  who  will  listen  to  and  be  impressed  by  the  philoso- 
opher,  with  his  cogent  reasoning ;  or  charmed  by  the  poet, 
with  his  melodious  verse  and  appealing  illustrations;  or 
won  over  by  the  scientist,  with  his  clear-cut,  convincing 
demonstrations.  All  kinds  of  teachers  go  before  the  prophet. 

i,  Emerson's  Essays,  3.  "Compensation." 


268  PO IVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

preparing"  his  way,  or  follow  after  him,  confirming  his 
testimony/ 

The  Divine  Art. — Music  softens  the  heart,  thus 
preparing  the  way  hefore  the  Gospel.  'The  song  of  the 
righteous  is  a  prayer  unto  me,"  saith  the  Lord.*  Nothing 
brings  the  good  spirit  into  a  meeting  more  quickly  than 
sweet  and  soulful  singing,  especially  when  choir  and  congre- 
gation join.  Tourists  come  in  a  constant  stream  to  listen 
to  the  organ  and  the  choir  in  our  great  Tabernacle.  The 
Gospel  is  not  always  preached  to  them ;  they  do  not  always 
desire  it.  But  they  are  mellowed  by  the  music,  and  go  away 
with  kinder  feelings  toward,  and  a  better  understanding 
of,  the  people  who  build  such  instruments,  organize  such 
choirs,  and  rear  such  structures.  Their  works  speak  for 
them.  Depraved  wretches,  such  as  the  majority  of  Utah's 
people  are  falsely  represented  to  be,  do  not  love  music,  care 
nothing  for  poetry  and  philosophy,  do  not  cultivate  the  arts 
and  sciences,  nor  rear  tabernacles  and  temples  unto  God. 

Seeing  and  Hearing. — In  the  year  1875  President 
Ulysses  S.  Grant  came  to  Utah — the  first  Executive  of  the 
Nation  to  set  foot  within  the  Territory,  now  a  State.  It  was 


j,  A  friend  of  mine,  a  medical  practitioner,  was  conversing  with 
a  learned  physician  in  the  great  city  of  London.  The  subject  was 
the  Word  of  Wisdom  (D.  &  C.  89)  wherein  the  Lord,  after  depre- 
cating the  use  of  strong  drink,  tobacco  and  other  things  "not  good 
for  man,"  goes  on  to  say  that  "all  wholesome  herbs,"  "every  fruit 
in  the  season  thereof,"  and  all  grains  are  ordained  for  man's  use. 
"Nevertheless,  wheat  for  man,  and  corn  for  the  ox,  and  oats  for 
the  horse,  and  rye  for  the  fowls  and  for  swine  and  for  all  beasts 
of  the  field  and  barley  for  all  useful  animals,  and  for  mild  drinks," 
etc.  The  learned  man  asked :  "Where  did  Joseph  Smith  get  this 
information?  These  teachings  are  based  upon  scientific  principles, 
recognized  as  such  by  the  medical  profession ;  but  they  are  of  com- 
paratively recent  discovery.  They  were  not  known  in  Joseph  Smith's 
time."  My  friend,  being  a  Latter-day  Saint,  did  not  lose  the  oppor- 
tunity thus  afforded  of  bearing  testimony  to  Joseph  Smith's  mis- 
sion as  a  prophet. 

k,  D.  &  C.  25:12. 


THE  GOSPEL'S  ACCESSORIES  269 

at  a  time  when,  all  over  this  broad  land,  bitter  prejudice 
against  the  Latter-day  Saints  prevailed.  It  was  freely 
asserted  that  the  man  who  had  finished  with  the  South, 
would  "make  short  work"  of  Utah  and  the  "Mormons." 
Among  the  places  visited  by  the  President  and  his  party 
during  their  stay,  was  the  Salt  Lake  Tabernacle,  where 
he  heard  the  organ  played  by  Joseph  J.  Daynes.  What  the 
President  thought  of  it,  I  never  learned ;  but  Mrs.  Grant, 
her  face  streaming  with  tears,  turned  to  Captain  Hooper, 
who  had  been  Utah's  delegate  in  Congress,  and  said  with 
deep  feeling:  "I  wish  I  could  do  something  for  these  good 
Mormon  people."  The  music  had  touched  her  heart,  and 
perhaps  the  heart  of  her  noble  husband;  for  Grant  was 
noble,  though  yielding  at  times  to  intense  prejudice.' 

No  Substitute  for  the  Gospel. — Let  it  not  be  sup- 
posed, however,  that  music,  poetry,  painting,  sculpture, 
science,^  or  any  other  thing,  can  take  the  place  of  the  great 
uplifting  Plan  whereby  the  world,  already  redeemed,  is  yet 
tf>  be  glorified.  No  gift  can  vie  with  the  Giver,  no  crea- 
ture usurp  the  functions  of  the  Creator.  lie  will  use 
everything  true  and  good  and  beautiful  to  melt  the  hearts 
or  men  and  prepare  them  to  be  saved;  but  salvation  itself 


l^  Before  reaching  the  Tabernacle,  President  Grant  passed  up 
South  Temple  Street,  lined  on  both  sides  with  sabbath  school 
children,  neatly  and  tastefully  attired,  waving  banners  and  mottoes 
of  welcome  in  honor  of  the  nation's  chief.  Riding  in  an  open  car- 
riage, and  running  the  gauntlet  of  applause  and  cheers,  the  honored 
guest  turned  to  the  Governor  of  Utah,  Hon.  George  W.  Emery,  who 
sat  beside  him,  and  inquired:  "What  children  are  these?"  "Mor- 
mon children,"  replied  the  Governor.  "The  Silent  Man"  mused  for 
a  moment,  and  was  then  heard  to  murmur,  "I  have  been  deceived." 

He  never  was  deceived  again — in  the  same  way.  He  could  trust 
his  eyes  when  he  looked  upon  those  beautiful  children.  They  were 
not  the  product  of  crime  and  depravity,  not  the  offspring  of  savages 
and  criminals.  He  could  trust  his  ears,  too,  when  he  heard  that 
choir  and  that  organ.  No  one  could  make  him  believe,  after  his 
visit  to  the  "Mormon  City,"  that  its  inhabitants  were  as  black  as 
they  had  been  painted. 


270  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

comes  only  by  one  route — the  Gospel  of  the  Lord     Jesus 
Cfirist. 

This  is  the  great  Ideal  and  it  must  be  honored  and 
n^aintained  as  such.  In  dealing  with  it,  no  Procrustean  pro- 
cess is  permissible.  It  must  not  be  chopped  off  because  men 
think  it  too  long,  nor  stretched  out  because  they  deem  it 
too  short.  It  did  not  come  into  the  world  to  be  mutilated. 
Revelation  cannot  bow  down  to  tradition.  Truth  is  the 
standard — truth  as  Heaven  reveals  it — and  the  opinions 
and  theories  of  men  must  give  way.  The  Gospel's  acces- 
sories are  no  substitute  for  the  Gospel. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-FIVE. 
What  Are  Miracles? 

Not  Contrary  to  Law. — Miracles  are  results  flowing 
from  superior  means  and  methods  of  doing  things.  They  do 
not  happen  contrary  to  law.  They  are  in  strict  conformity 
therewith.  It  could  not  be  otherwise;  for  the  universe, 
natural  and  supernatural,  is  governed  by  law.  But  there 
are  greater  laws  and  lesser  laws,  and  the  greater  have 
power  to  suspend  the  operation  of  the  lesser.  When  this  oc- 
curs, people  exclaim:  "A  miracle!"  Others  say:  'Tc  never 
happened,  for  it  is  contrary  to  law."  And  indeed  it  may 
seem  contrary  to  ordinary  law,  with  the  workings  of  which 
their  everyday  experience  is  familiar.  But  that  does  not 
prove  it  contrary  to  some  higher  law  concerning  which 
tliey  may  know  little  or  nothing. 

Elisha  and  the  Axe. — When  the  Prophet  Elisha  re- 
lieved the  distress  of  the  young  man  who  had  lost  an  axe 
■ — a  borrowed  axe — in  the  stream  on  the  bank  of  which  he 
was  hewing  timber,^  it  may  have  been  supposed,  by  some 
skeptical  on-looker,  that  the  man  of  God  was  working  in 
opposition  to  law.  The  account  given  states  that  "he  cut 
down  a  stick"  and  cast  it  into  the  water,  and  "the  iron 
did  swim" — in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  is  the  nature  of  iron 
to  sink.  The  law  of  gravitation  required  that  the  axe  re- 
main at  the  bottom  of  the  stream,  unless,  by  the  applica- 
tion of  some  counter-force,  ordinary  or  otherwise,  it  could 
be  recov.ered.  The  force  applied  in  this  case  was  extra- 
ordinary. Elisha  invoked  a  law  superior  to  the  law  of  gravi- 

a,  2  Kings,  6:1-7. 


iri  POWERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

tation,  suspending  its  complete  action  upon  that  particular 
piece  of  iron.^ 

Scientific  Achievements. — Today,  iron  ships  are  float- 
ing upon  every  sea.  While  this  is  not  a  miracle  such  as 
Elisha  wrought,  it  would  have  been  deemed  a  miracle  in 
earlier  ages  of  the  world,  before  such  wonders  became  com- 
monplace. The  achievements  of  modern  science,  compared 
with  past  conditions  in  the  same  field  of  thought  and 
action,  ought  to  convince  any  reasonable  mind  that  the  days 
of  miracles  are  not  over. 

Light  Production. — Men  once  made  light  by  briskly 
rubbing  together  two  pieces  of  wood,  until  friction  gen- 
erated flame.  Gas  light  or  electric  light,  with  the  present 


h,  "What  are  the  Laws  of  Nature?"  asks  Carlyle,  and  continues: 
"To  me  perhaps  the  rising  of  one  from  the  dead  were  no  violation 
of  these  laws,  but  a  confirmation,  if  some  far  deeper  law,  now  first 
penetrated  into,  and  by  spiritual  force,  even  as  the  rest  have  all  been, 
were  brought  to  bear  on  us  with  its  material  force." 

"'But  is  it  not  the  deepest  law  of  Nature  that  she  be  constant?' 
cries  an  illuminated  class :  Ts  not  the  machine  of  the  universe  fixt 
to  move  by  unalterable  rules?'  Probable  enough,  good  friends. 
.  .  .  And  now  of  you,  too,  I  make  the  old  inquiry :  What  those 
same  unalterable  rules,  forming  the  complete  statute  book  of 
Nature,  may  possibly  be? 

"  They  stand  written  in  our  works  of  science,'  say  you ;  'in  the 
accumulated  record  of  man's  experience.'  Was  man  with  his  expe- 
rience present  at  the  creation,  then,  to  see  how  it  all  went  on?  Have 
any  deepest  scientific  individuals  yet  dived  down  to  the  founda- 
tions of  the  universe,  and  guaged  everything  there?  Did  the  Maker 
take  them  into  his  counsel,  that  they  read  his  ground-plan  of  the 
incomprehensible  All,  and  can  say,  This  stands  marked  therein, 
and  no  more  than  this?    Alas,  not  in  any  wise!"     .     .     ._ 

"To  the  minnow,  every  cranny  and  pebble  and  quality  and  acci- 
dent, of  its  little  native  creek  may  have  become  familiar;  but  does 
the  minnow  understand  the  ocean  tides  and  periodic  currents,  the 
trade  winds  and  monsoons  and  moon's  eclipses,  by  all_  which  the 
condition  of  its  little  creek  is  regulated,  and  may,  from  time  to  time 
(unmiraculously  enough)  be  quite  upset  and  reversed?  Such  r^ 
minnow  is  man ;  his  creek  this  planet  earth  ;  his  ocean  the  imrnea- 
surable  All;  his  monsoons  and  periodic  currents  the  mysterious 
force  of  Providence  through  aeons  of  aeons." — Sartor  Resartus, 
Natural  Supernaturalism,  pp.  275-278. 


U71JT  ARE  MIRACLES?  273 

means  of  producing  them,  would  have  filled  the  souls  of 
such  men  with  fear  and  wonder.  To  them  it  would  have 
been  a  miracle.  And  yet,  to  press  a  button  or  turn  a  switch, 
and  thus  obtain  light,  is  a  very  clumsy  device— or  will  be 
so  considered  when  men  learn  to  make  light  as  God  made  it 
on  the  morning  of  creation.'^ 

"The  Earth  Moves."— The  telegraph,  the  telephone, 
the  electric  car,  the  automobile,  the  airship— these  and  a 
hundred    othei;^   marvelous    manifestations       of      scientific 
power,  now  quite  common,  would  have  been  deemed  vision- 
ary and  impossible  in  former  ages.  To  have  avowed  even 
a  belief  in  them  would  have  imperiled  one's  life     or  de- 
prived him  of  his  liberty,  in  the  days  when  Galileo     was 
threatened  with  torture  for  declaring  that  the  earth  moves, 
or  when  women,  in  later  times  were  hanged  or  burned  as 
witches   for  nothing  at. all.   So   dangerous   is  human  pre- 
judice, in  its  fanatical  opposition  to  things  new  and  strange. 
This,  of  course,  refers  only  to  former  ages  and  to  semi- 
benighted  peoples.     We  would  not  have  done  as  our  fore- 
fathers did !  So  each  generation  thinks.  Let  us  be  thankful 
that  the  earth   ''does  move,"  and  that  the   mind   of  man 
moves  with  it,   so  that  perils  such  as  confronted   Galileo 
and  others  of  his  class  are  now  less  likely  to  show  their 
ugly  features. 

The  Other  Extreme.— But  just  a  word  of  caution  here. 
We  must  not  rush  to  the  opposite  extreme,  and  become 
obsessed  with  that  ultra-practical  spirit  which  would  make 
all  things  commonplace,  not  only  in  manifestation,  but  in 
origin.  Miracles,  after  all,  are  facts,  not  fictions,  and  some 
ot  them  have  their  causes  far  back  of  and  beyond  the 
known  principles  of  science. 

c,  Gen.  1 :3. 
18 


274  POWERS  AAW  PRINCIPLES 

Disbelief  in  Divine  Interposition. — But  there  is  a  dis- 
position in  these  modern  days  to  do  away  with  every- 
thing savoring  of  the  supernatural,  "Higher  Criticism/' 
so-called,  seems  to  regard  this  as  its  special  mission. 
Some  people,  even  if  they  give  credence  to  works  of  won- 
der, invariably  refer  them  to  ordinary  causes — anything 
rather  than  acknowledge  divine  interposition. 

Moses  and  the  Red  Sea. — For  instance,  when  they 
read  of  Moses  parting  the  waters  of  the  Red  Sea,  they 
either  deny  the  event  in  toto,  or  set  Moses  and  the  mir- 
acle aside,  and  susbtitute  some  convulsion  of  nature  as 
the  accidental  cause  of  the  mighty  deliverance,  when 
those  waters,  afer  allowing  the  Israelites  to  pass  through 
in  safety,  returned  just  in  time  to  engulf  their  pursuing 
enemies,  the  Egyptians.'^ 

A  very  convenient  earthquake,  truly !  Nothing  could 
have  been  more  timely !  But  why  could  not  Divine 
Power  have  done  it  all — done  it  designedly,  in  the  man- 
ner and  with  the  means  specified  in  the  sacred  narrative?^ 
Is  God  impotent  in  the  presence  of  Nature — fettered 
b}'  his  own  creation?  Alas!  these  learned  theorists  be- 
lieve not  in  God,  and  that  is  why  they  deny  his  works 
and  put  nature  with  its  blind  forces  in  his  stead. 


d,  "Everybody  recalls  how  the  Red  Sea  was  rolled  aside  in  or- 
der that  the  Israelites  under  Moses  might  pass  over  safely;  how 
the  river  Jordan,  a  few  years  later,  was  driven  back,  that  Joshua 
and  his  army  might  cross ;  and  how  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were 
overwhelmed  with  fire  and  brimstone  for  their  sins.  .  .  .  Geolo- 
gists are  now  inclined  to  believe  that  the  recession  of  the  sea 
might  have  been  caused  by  an  earthquake  pushing  up  a  rock  stratum 
under  tremendous  pressure.  The  water  would  return  in  some  degree 
upon  the  subsidence  of  the  stratum.  The  various  miraculous  events 
referred  to  occurred  about  the  year  1500  B.  C.,  and  there  is  a 
curious  similarity  between  them.  It  now  appears  probable  from 
scientific  research  that  these  occurrences  were  the  last  of  a  series 
of  terrific  earthquake  disturbances  that  changed  the  entire  sur- 
face of  the  globe."— W.  H.  Ballou,  D.  Sc. 

e,  Ex.  14:21-31. 


WHAT  ARE  MIRACLES?  275 

Joshua  and  the  Sun. — They  laugh  to  scorn  the  idea 
of  Joshua  commanding  the  sun  to  stand  still,  deeming 
it  "a  sin  and  a  disgrace"  that  such  things  should  be 
l)reached  and  taught,  and  denying,  of  course,  that  the 
miracle  ever  took  place.  Because,  forsooth,  the  whole 
solar  system  would  have  come  crashing  down  into 
chaos,  had  the  sun  halted  for  one  moment  in  its  de- 
creed course!  Yes,  that  might  have  happened,  such  a 
calamity  might  have  occurred — had  there  been  no  God 
to  uphold  the  solar  system  and  administer  the  law 
for   its   preservation. 

"The  Lord  Fought  for  Israel." — But  there  is  a  God, 
and  he  was  there  as  he  is  everywhere,  by  his  all- 
protective,  all-administrative  power — the  God  to  whom 
Joshua  prayed  before  uttering  the  sublime  command : 
"Sun,  stand  thou  still  upon  Gibeon,  and  thou,  Moon,  in 
the  valley  of  Ajalon!"^  "And  the  sun  stood  still,  and 
the  moon  stayed,  until  the  people  had  avenged  them- 
selves upon  their  enemies ;  .  .  .  for  the  Lord  fought 
for  Israel."^ 

There  you  have  it — it  was  the  Lord's  doing.  Joshua 
was  merely  the  instrument,  just  as  Moses  had  been.  But 
because  such  things  are  not  happening  every  day,  and 
because  doubt  cannot  do  them,  therefore  are  they  impos- 
sible to  Faith !  Such  is  the  logic  of  those  who  scoff  at 
the  power  of  Deity  and  deny  even  the  miracles  of  the 
Savior. 

Nothing  Too  Difficult  for  Omnipotence. — For  my 
part,  I  see  nothing  inconsistent  in  these  Bible  stories — 
nothing  to  justify  doubt  or  denial.  A  Power  that  could 
create  the  sun  and  moon  and  set  them  whirling  in  their 
orbits,  could  stop  them  in  their  decreed  course — or  stop 


f,  Joshua  10:12. 

g,  lb.  vv.  13,  14. 


276  POll  ERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

the  earth,  so  that  sun  and  moon  would  seem  to  be  stayed 
— and  at  the  same  time  uphold  the  universe,  while  this 
part  of  it  remained  stationary.  Of  course,  man  could 
not  do  it;  but  human  power  is  not  the  measure  of  Omni- 
potence. 

What  Our  Century  Needs. — What  the  Twentieth 
Century  needs,  more  than  anything  else,  is  an  honest  be- 
lief that  there  is  actually  a  God  in  heaven,  and  that  his 
power  is  superior  to  man's.  The  Great  Creator  has  not 
let  out  his  universe,  to  be  governed  by  law  independently 
of  the  Law-giver.  The  Go<l  of  Israel  is  a  God  who  an- 
swers prayer,  and  who  works  miracles  whenever  the  need 
arises  and  conditions  warrant — works  them  according  to 
law.  But  He  administers  that  law — it  does  not  administer 
him. 

Greater  and  Lesser  Laws. — Some  laws  are  funda- 
mental. The  Almighty  did  not  create  them;  but  he 
controls  them  and  overrules  their  workings  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  creatures.  According  to  Joseph  Smith,  certain 
laws  were  "instituted"  at  the  beginning,  as  a  means  for 
human  progression.  These  are  eternal  principles  where- 
by our  great  and  benevolent  Father  proposes  to  save  and 
exalt  his  children,  and  give  perpetuity  to  all  things  neces- 
sary  for  their  happiness  and  glory. 

Who,  having  faith  in  a  Maker  of  the  universe,  can 
question  his  power  to  govern  that  universe,  the  work- 
manship of  his  hands?  And  if  he  controls  the  fundamen- 
tal laws — those  uncreateble,  self-existent  principles  which 
are  as  the  Constitution  of  Eternity,  surely  he  can  suspend 
the  operation  of  lesser  laws  based  thereon,  setting  aside 
at  will  his  own  enactments. 

An  Illustration. — Suppose  a  child  to  be  lying  at  the 
point  of  death.  The  family  physician,  having  done  his 
best  and  failed,  informs  the  sad-hearted  parents  that  their 


M^HAT  ARE  MIRACLES?  277 

little  one  cannot  live  till  niornin.^.     Medical  science  so 

decrees^  ,n  accordance  with  the  law  nnder  which  the  phy- 

s^canhas  heen  operating.  But,  hearin,^  in  mind  the  apos- 

ohc  ,n.,„nct,on,  "Is  any  sick  among  you?    Let  him  ca  1 

™: :  "rtr "' ''-  ''t''"  ''-^-^^^^  -^'^-^^ 

hiders.  They  come  and  prav  over  the  child,  and  the 
prayer  of  fa.th  "saves  the  sick,"  notwithstanding^  the  <.ood 
doctors  prognostication.  A  miracle?  Yes,  if  one  chaoses 
to  call  ,t  so.     In  other  words,  the  suspension  of  a  lesser 

hi  ih'  TT"'  "^^/°™^'-  '-^^"'-"-".^  the  death  of  the 
chdd  the  latter  perm.ttmg  it  to  live;  the  lower  inopera- 
tive m  the  presence  of  the  higher.  "^ 

Biggest  Things  Yet  to  Be.-Miracles    belong  to  no 
particular  time  or  place.    Whenever  and  wherever  there  is 
sufficent  fa,th  and  a  reasonable  demand  for  its  exerc U 
D.vme  Power  will  act,  and  marvels  will  result.    "There' 
are  more  thmgs  in  heaven  and  earth  than  are  dreamt  of" 

to  be      Gods  work  ,s  progressive,  and  the  miracles' of 
the  future  w,ll  cause  the  miracles  of  the  past  to  pale. 

can^oi^'r  ^"^^f  ^*7.-P-.^'-e=sion's  highest  methods 
cannot  beemployedm  dealing  with  undeveloped  man. 
The  All-w.se  adapts  h.mself  to  the  conditions  environing 
hose  whom  he  aims  to  uplift  and  glorify,  "All  things  are 
in  a  scale,  rendering  necessary  a  diversitv  of  laws  and 
operations.     Even  the  divine  dictum,  "Let  there  be  light'" 

?od  is'T'-'^f  ;V''   '"^'   ^""^   '■"   '-^ht  production. 
God    s  Light,  and  has  only  to  appear,  and  all  darkness 

/ 'u-!""r  ^^'"  '^'  '""  "^«^-  *^  "0°"  -nd  stars 
must    h,de  their  diminished  heads,"    When  God  dawns 
upon  the  world,  not  even  the  sun  will  shine. 
h,  James  5  :I4. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-SIX. 
The  Mainspring  of  Power. 

The  Moving  Cause. — All  power  springs  from  faith. 
It  is  "the  moving  cause  of  all  action"  and  "the  foundation 
of  all  righteousness."^  God  did  not  create  the  principle 
of  faith,  but  by  means  of  it  he  created  the  worlds,  and 
by  means  of  it  he  continues  to  exercise  con- 
trol and  dominion  over  them.  It  is  the  faith  of  Omnipo- 
tence that  upholds  the  universe. 

A  Negative  Opinion. — A  Christian  minister,  not  of  the 
orthodox  school,  with  whom  I  was  conversing  on  the 
subject  of  faith,  tried  to  convince  me  that  it  was  any- 
thing but  an  admirable  quality.  He  even  called  it  con- 
temptible, declaring  that  it  consisted  of  a  weak  willing- 
ness to  believe — to  believe  anything,  however  improbable 
or  absurd.  In  short,  it  was  mere  credulity,  nothing 
more. 

A  Spiritual  Force). — When  I  referred  to  faith  as  a 
spiritual  force,  a  principle  of  power,  he  said  I  was  at- 
taching to  the  term  a  significance  that  it  had  never  borne, 
and  for  which  there  was  no  warrant.  I  then  reminded 
him  of  the  Savior's  words :  "If  ye  have  faith  as  a  grain 
of  mustard  seed,  ye  shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  'Re- 
move hence  to  yonder  place,'  and  it  shall  remove,  and 
nothing  shall  be  impossible  unto  you."^  Whereupon  he 
flippantly  remarked:  "Oh,  it  takes  picks  and  shovels  to 
move  mountains." 

Picks  and  Shovels.— And  so  it  does— if  one  has  no  bet- 
ter  way  of  moving  them.     But  what   about  the  faith 


a,  D.  &  C.  Lectures  on  Faith,  Lee.  1,  pp.  1,  2;  See  also  Heb.  11. 

b.  Matt.  17:20. 


THE  MAINSPRING  OF  POWER  279 

necessary  to  handle  pick  and  shovel?  All  energy  springs 
from  faith,  and  whether  mountains  are  moved  by  man 
or  by  his  Maker,  it  is  faith  that  precedes  the  action  and 
renders  it  possible.  Yet  here  was  a  professed  minister  of 
Christ,  ignoring  the  teachings  of  Christ,  and  denying  what 
all  true  Christians  believe — that  the  smallest  as  well  as 
the  greatest  acts  of  our  lives  spring  from  the  exercise 
of  faith. 

Misplaced  Confidence. — In  its  incipient  stages,  faith 
may  at  times  resemble  mere  credulity.  The  untutored 
savage  who  was  told  by  one  of  the  early  settlers  of  New  Eng- 
land, that  if  he  planted  gunpowder  it  would  "grow"  gun- 
powder, believed  it,  not  yet  having  learned  that  the  white 
man  could  lie.  He  therefore  parted  with  his  valuable 
furs,  in  exchange  for  a  small  quantity  of  powder,  and 
planted  it,  showing  his  confidence  in  the  settler's  word. 
But  of  course  the  desired  result  did  not  follow ;  for  faith, 
to  be  effectual,  must  be  rightly  based,  must  have  a  rea- 
sonable foundation.  The  Spirit  of  Truth  must  inspire 
it.  This  was  not  the  case  with  the  poor  misguided  Indian. 
He  trusted  in  a  falsehood,  and  was  deceived.  Still,  some 
good  came  of  it — he  ascertained  the  falsity  of  the  set- 
tler's statement.  If  the  planting  did  not  produce  powder, 
it  produced  a  wiser  Indian. 

Faith's  Possibilities. — Had  the  red  man's  faith  been 
perfect — an  intelligent,  rational,  heaven-inspired  faith 
— he  could  have  produced  gunpowder  or  any  other  com- 
modity from  the  all-containing  elements  around  him.  And 
that,  too,  without  planting  a  seed  or  employing  any  or- 
dinary process  of  manufacture.  The  miracles  wrought 
by  the  Savior — his  turning  of  water  into  wine,  his  mira- 
culous feeding  of  the  multitude,  his  walking  on  the  waves, 
healing  of  the  sick,  raising  of  the  dead,  and  other  won- 
derful works — what  were  they  but  manifestations  of  an 


280  PO  JVERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

all-powerful  faith,  to  possess  ^v'h^c•h  is  to  have  the  power 
to  move  mountains,  without  picks  and  shovels,  my  skep- 
tical friend  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding^?  Faith  is 
not  to  confounded  with  blind  ignorant  credulity.  It  is  a 
divine  energy,  operating  upon  natural  principles  and  by 
natural  processes — natural,  though  unknown  to  "the  nat- 
ural man,"  and  termed  by  him  "supernatural." 

"As  a  Grain  of  Mustard  Seed." — When  the  Savior 
spoke  of  the  faith  that  moves  mountains,  he  was  not 
measuring  the  quantity  of  the  faith  by  the  size  of  the 
mustard  seed.  Neither  was  it  an  Oriental  hyperbole.  Jesus 
was  speaking  literally.  Mountains  had  been  moved  before 
by  the  power  of  faith  i'^  then  why  not  now?^ 

An  Impelling  Force. — Faith  is  the  beating  heart  of  the 
universe.  Without  it  nothing  was  ever  accomplished, 
small  or  great,  commonplace  or  miraculous.  No  work 
ever  succeeded  that  was  not  backed  by  confidence  in 
some  power,  human  or  superhuman,  that  impelled  and 
pushed  forward  the  enterprise. 

Those  Who  Believe. — It  was  not  doubt  that  drove 
Columbus  across  the  sea;  it  was  faith — the  impelling 
force  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord.^  It  was  not  doubt  that 
inspired  Jefferson,  Franklin,  and  the  other  patriot  fathers 
to  lay  broad   and  deep   the  foundations  of  this  mighty 


r,  Ether  12:30. 

d,  It  is  my  belief  that  the  Savior,  in  his  reference  to  the  mustard 
seed,  meant  that  if  man  would  obey  the  divine  law  given  for  his 
government  as  faithfully  as  that  tiny  germ  obeys  the  law  given  for 
its  government,  he  could  wield  infinitely  more  power  than  he 
now  possesses.  Solid  stone  pavements  are  upheaved  and  cracked 
asunder  by  the  gradual  growth  or  expansion  of  a  seed  or  root 
buried  underneath.  Such  things  indicate  a  hidden  force  even  in 
the  lowliest  creations.  It  is  written  that  the  earth  "filleth  the 
measure  of  its  creation,  and  transgresseth  not  the  law."  (D.  &  C. 
88:25).  If  man  were  that  obedient,  he  would  have  the  power  to 
"move  mountains." 

e,  1  Nephi,  13:12. 


THE  MAINSPRING  OF  POWER  281 

republic,  as  a  hope  and  a  refuse  for  oppressed  humanity. 
Tt  is  not  doubt  that  causes  nations  to  rise  and, flourish, 
that  induces  great  and  g^ood  men  in  all  ages  and  in  all 
climes  to  teach  and  toil  and  sacrifice  for  the  benefit  of 
their  fellows.  It  is  faith  that  does  such  things.  Doubt 
only  hinders  what  faith  would  achieve.  The  men  and 
women  who  move  the  world  are  the  men  and  women 
who  believe. 

Mahomet  and  Islam. — Carlyle,  in  splendid  phrasing, 
depicts  the  wonderful  change  that  came  over  the  Arabian 
people  when  they  abandoned  idolatry,  the  insincere  wor- 
ship of  "sticks  and  stones,"  and  became  a  believing  na- 
tion. "It  was  as  a  birth  from  darkness  into  light ;  Arabia 
first  became  alive  by  means  of  it.  A  poor  shepherd  people 
roaming  unnoticed  in  its  deserts  since  the  creation  of  the 
world ;  a  hero-prophet  was  sent  down  to  them  with  a 
word  they  could  believe;  see,  the  unnoticed  becomes 
world-notable,  the  small  has  become  world-great ;  within 
one  century  afterward  Arabia  is  at  Granada  on  this  hand, 
at  Delhi  on  that — glancing  in  valor  and  splendor  and  the 
light  of  genius,  Arabia  shines  through  long  ages  over  a 
great  section  of  the  world.  Belief  is  great,  life-giving. 
The  history  of  a  nation  becomes  fruitful,  soul-elevat- 
ing, great,  so  soon  as  it  believes."^ 

Achievements  of  Christendom. — The  same  philosophy, 
with  far  greater  emphasis,  applies  to  Christendom  and 
its  glorious  achievements  all  down  the  centuries.  What 
has  caused  Christian  nations  to  flourish  so  mightily? 
What  has  enabled  Christianity,  in  spite  of  its  errors,  to 
survive  the  wreck  of  empires  and  to  weather  the  storms 
of  time  ?  Faith  in  the  Christ,  imperfect  though  that  faith 
has   been.     The   faith   of   any  people — its   trust   in   and 


/,  "Heroes  and  Hero  Worship,"  Lee.  2. 


282  PO  WERS  AND  PRINCIPLES 

reliance  upon  some  power  deemed  by  it  divine — constitutes 
its' main  source  of  strength. 

Faith  Must  Be  Genuine. — But  faith  must  be  genuine. 
Pretense  and  formahsm  will  not  avail.  Hypocrisy  is  the 
worst  form  of  unbelief.  Honest!  idolatry  is  infinitely 
preferable  to  dishonest  worship.  Better  burn  incense  to 
Diana,  believing  it  to  be  right,  than  bow  down  to  Christ 
in  hollow-hearted  insincerity.  Mighty  Rome  did  not  fall 
until  she  had(  ceased  to  worship  sincerely  the  gods 
enshrined  within  her  Pantheon.  Glorious  Greece  did  not 
succumb  until  her  believers  had  become  doubters,  until 
skeptical  philosophy  had  supplanted  religious  enthusiasm, 
and  the  worship  of  freedom,  grace  and  beauty  had  de- 
generated into  unbridled  license  and  groveling  sensuality. 
No  nation  ever  crumbled  to  ruin  until  false  to  itself,  false 
to  the  true  principles  of  success,  the  basic  one  of  which 
is  To  Believe. 

Germany's  Mistake. — The  world  in  recent  years  has 
witnessed  the  sad  spectacle  of  a  great  nation,  or  the 
ruling  powers  of  that  nation,  turning  from  Christ  and 
SL^bstituting  for  Christian  faith  a  godless  pagan  philosophy. 
Discarding  the  just  and  merciful  principles  of  the  Gospel, 
and  adopting  the  false  notion  that  might  makes  right, 
the  fallen  Teutonic  empire  has  shown,  by  the  revolting 
cruelties  practiced  in  pursuance  of  that  doctrine,  what 
science  (kultur)  is  capable  of,  when  it  parts  company  with 
God  and  moralitv.  The  land  of  Goethe  and  Wagner,  and 
alas !  the  land  also  of  the  Hohenzollern  and  the  Hinden- 
burg,  far  from  winning  the  "place  in  the  sun"  that  she 
so  coveted,  has  lost  the  proud  place  already-  heVI  bv  her 
when  the  mad  ambition  of  her  militan-  chiefs  nluneed 
her  into  ruin.  The  one  thin?  that  can  now  r'-deem  her 
and   lift   her   iin   out   of   the   p*t   i'''tn   whirh    she   ha<^    f-'1- 


THE  MAINSPRING  OF  POWER  283 

len,  is  faith  in  the  true  God,  and  the  works  by  which  that 
faith  is  made  manifest. 

According  to  Their  Faith.— God  deals  with  men  ac- 
according  to  their  faith.  The  Savior  wrought  mighty  mir- 
acles, by  his  own  faith,  but  most  of  them  were  faith 
abounded  in  the  hearts  of  the  people.  In  other  places  he 
did  not  do  many  mighty  works,  ''because  of  their  un- 
belief." Faith  is  a  gift  from  God,  and  they  who  serve  him 
best  have  most  of  it.  Faith  is  the  soil  that  brings  forth 
miracles.    ''AIJ  things  are  possible  to  them  that  believe." 


PART  EIGTH 


BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-SEVEN. 

The  Spirit  World. 

Not  Heaven. — That  there  is  a  Spirit  World,  and  that 
it  is  closely  connected  with  the  material  world — the  one 
we  now  inhabit — has  been  a  tenet  in  the  religious  philosophy 
of  wise  and  good  men  all  down  the  ages.  In  the  minds  of 
many  people,  the  Spirit  World  and  Heaven  are  synonym- 
ous terms,  indicating  one  and  the  same  place.  But  in 
reality  there  is  a  wide  difference  between  them.  A  state 
of  rest,  such  as  the  spirit  life  is  understood  to  be  for  the 
righteous — though  "rest"  should  not  be  interpreted  as 
idleness  or  want  of  occupation — might  easily  pass  for 
heaven,  when  contrasted  w4th  this  life  of  pain,  sorrow 
and  trouble.  But  that  is  only  relative.  It  is  not  saying  too 
much — indeed  it  may  be  saying  too  little — to  affirm  that 
there  is  just  as  much  difference  between  the  spirit  world 
and  heaven,  as  between  the  mortal  and  the  spiritual  phases 
of  man's  existence. 

Here  on  Earth. — According  to  Parley  P.  Pratt,  the 
Spirit  World  is  the  spiritual  part  of  this  planet — or,  to 
use  his  exact  language:  "The  earth  and  other  planets  of 
a  like  order  have  their  inward  or  spiritual  spheres,  as  well 
a?  their  outward  or  temporal.  The  one  is  peopled  by  tem- 
poral tabernacle^,  and  the  other  by  spirits."  "As  to  its 
location,"  he  says,  "it  is  here  on  the  very  planet  where 
we  were  born."" 

All  Things  Before  Created. — The  proposition  that 
Earth  has  a  spiritual  as  well  as  a  temporal  sphere  is  a 
reassertion  of  the  doctrine  of  dualitv,  embodied  in  ancient 


a.  Key  to  Theology.     Chapt.  14. 


288  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 

and  modern  revelation,  and  particularly  emphasized  by 
Joseph  the  Seer.  A  careful  reading  of  the  Book  of  Genesis 
(the  King  James  version)  discloses,  though  somewhat 
vaguely,  the  fact  of  this  duality,  as  applied  to  tlic  works 
of  creation.  Thus,  after  giving  an  account  of  the  earth 
and  of  all  things  connected  therewith,  the  sacred  writer 
says: 

''These  are  the  generations  of  the  heavens  and  of  the 
earth  when  they  were  created,  in  the  day  that  the  Lord  God 
made  the  earth  and  the  heavens,  and  every  plant  of  the 
field  before  it  was  in  the  earth,  and  every  herb  of  the 
field  before  it  grew :  for  the  Lord  God  had  not  caused  it 
to  rain  upon  the  earth,  and  there  was  not  a  man  to  till 
the  ground."* 

*'Not  a  man  to  till  the  ground" — and  yet  man  had  been 
created,  as  well  as  the  plants  and  herbs  that  existed  ''be- 
fore they  grew."  The  apparent  contradiction — apparent 
though  not  real — was  explained  by  the  Prophet  when,  by 
the  Spirit  of  Revelation,  he  revised  the  Scriptures,  giving 
a  more  ample  account  of  the  creation  than  the  ordinary 
Bible  contains.  From  that  account  the  following  sentences 
are  taken: 

"For  I  the  Lord  God  created  all  things  of  which  I 
have  spoken,  spiritually,  before  they  were  naturally  upon 
the  face  of  the  earth.  .  .  And  I  the  Lord  had  created  all 
the  children  of  men ;  and  not  yet  a  man  to  till  the  ground. 
For  in  heaven  created  I  them ;  and  there  was  not  yet 
flesh  upon  the  earth,  neither  in  the  water,  neither  in  the 
air.    .     .    Nevertheless,   all   things   were   before    created."^ 

First  Spiritual,  Then  Temporal. — In  other  words, 
there    were    two    creations — or    rather,    the<  creation    had 


h,  Gen.  2 :4,  5. 
c,  Moses  3:5.  7. 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  289 

two  phases,  the  first  spiritual,  the  second  temporal.  When 
the  Creator  made  man  and  beast  and  fish  and  fowl,  he 
made  them  twice — first  in  the  spirit,  then  in  the  body ;  and 
the  same  is  true  of  the  trees,  the  shrubs,  the  flowers,  and 
all  other  created  things.  They  were  made  spiritually  and 
temporally,  the  spirit  and  the  body  constituting  the  soul.'^ 

Not  Far  Away. — The  Spirit  World  is  not  a  thing  afar 
off.  Our  thoughts  need  not  sail  away  millions  of  miles 
into  space  to  find  it.  According  to  the  best  evidence  we 
possess,  it  is  near  to  us — right  around  us.  We  have  but 
to  emerge  from  the  body,  and  we  are  in  the  spirit  world. 
Out  of  it  we  came,  and  unto  it  we  shall  return.  ''The 
spirits  of  the  just,"  says  the  Prophet  Joseph,  ''are  not  far 
from  us ;"  they  "know  and  understand  our  thoughts,  feel- 
ings and  motions,  and  are  often  pained  therewith.^ 

Just  and  Unjust. — The  spirits  of  the  unjust  likewise 
inhabit  the  spirit  world,  though  they  are  separated  from 
the  righteous,  and  are  not  in  a  state  of  rest.  Light  and 
darkness  divide  that  realm,  each  domain  having  its  ap- 
propriate population.  Set  far  .from  being  Heaven,  part 
of  the  spirit  world  is  Hades  or  Hell.  Referring  to  the 
class  who  people  that  part,  the  Prophet  says:  "The  great 
misery  of  departed  spirits  .  .  .  is  to  know  that  they  come 
short 'of  the  glory  that  others  enjoy  and  that  they  might 
have  enjoyed  themselves ;  and  they  are  their  own  ac- 
cusers."^ 

Jesus  and  the  Penitent  Thief. — "In  the  spirit  world," 
says  Parley  P.  Pratt,  "are  all  the  varieties  and  grades  of 
intellectual  beings  which  exist  in  the  present  world.  For 
instance,  Jesus  Christ  and  the  thief  on  the  cross  both  went 


d,  D.  &  C.  88:15;  Moses  3:9. 

e,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  6,  p.  52. 

f,  lb.  Vol.  5,  p.  425. 

19 


290  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 

t'j  the  same  place.''  That  is  to  say,  they  both  went  to  the 
spirit  world. 

Jesus,  it  will  be  borne  in  mind,  had  been  crucified  be- 
tween two  thieves,  one  of  whom  derided  him,  insulting 
his  dying  agonies.  The  other,  being  penitent,  prayed: 
"Lord,  remember  me  when  thou  comest  into  thy  king- 
dom." To  him  the  Savior  said :  "Today  shalt  thou  be 
with  me  in  paradise."^  Because  of  this  utterance — which 
Joseph  Smith  declared  to  be  a  mistranslation,  maintain- 
ing that  "paradise"  should  read  "world  of  spirits"^' — 
uninspired  minds  have  drawn  the  conclusion  that  the 
penitent  thief  was  promised  immediate  heavenly"  exaltation, 
for  repenting  at  the  last  moment  and  professing  faith  in 
the  Redeemer.  This  notion  is  still  entertained.  The 
criminal  who  has  forfeited  his  life  and  is  under  sentence 
ot  death,  because  unfit  to  dwell  among  his  fallen  fellow 
creatures,  is  made  to  believe  that  by  confessing  Christ, 
even  on  the  scaffold,  he  is  fitted  at  once  for  the  society  of 
Gods  and  angels,  and  will  be  wafted  to  never-ending  bliss. 

A  False  Doctrine. — Jesus  never  taught  such  a  doc- 
trine, nor  did  any  authorized  servant  of  the  Lord.  It  is  a 
man-made  theory,  based  upon  faulty  inference  and  mis- 
interpretation. The  Scriptures  plainly  teach  that  men  will 
be  judged  according  to  their  works,*  and  receive  rewards 
as  varied  as  their  deeds.-''  It  was  best  for  the  thief,  of 
course,  to  repent  even  at  the  eleventh  hour;  but  he  could 
not  be  exalted  until  prepared  for  it,  if  it  took  a  thousand 
years.  When  Christ  said:  "I  go  to  prepare  a  place  for 
you,  that  where  I  am  there  ye  may  be  also,"^  he  was  not 


o,  Luke  23  :43. 

//,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,  pp.  424,  425. 

/,  Rev.  20:12,  13. 

/.  D.  &  C.  76. 

k,  John  14:2,  3. 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  291 

speaking  to  murderers  and  malefactors,  but  to  his  pure- 
minded,  right-living  disciples,  those  only  to  whom  such  a 
promise  could  consistently  be  given. 

What  Goes  on  There. — Jesus  Christ  and  the  thief  both 
went;  to  the  world  of  spirits,  a  plac^'  of  rest  for  the 
righteous,  a  place  of  correction  for  the  wicked.  "But,"  as 
the  Apostle  Parley  goes  on  to  say,  "the  one  was  there  in 
all  the  intelligence,  happiness,  benevolenjce  and  charity 
which  characterize  a  teacher,  a  messenger  anointed  to 
preach  glad  tidings  to  the  meek,  to  bind  up  the  broken- 
hearted, to  comfort  those  who  mourned,  to  preach  de- 
liverance to  the  captive,  and  open  the  prison  to  those  who 
were  bound;  or,  in  other  words,  to  preach  the  Gospel  to 
the  spirits  in  prison,  that  they  might  be  judged  according 
to  men  in  the  flesh ;  while  the  other  was  there  as  a  thief, 
who  had  expired  on  the  cross  for  crime,  and  who  was 
guilty,  ignorant,  uncultivated,  and  unprepared  for  resur- 
rection, having  need  of  remission  of  sins  and  to  be  in- 
structed in  the  science  of  salvation," 

Thus  is  told  in  part  what  goes  on  in  the  spirit  world. 
"It  is  a  place,"  continues  our  Apostle,  "where  the  Gospel 
is  preached,  where  faith,  repentance  and  charity  may  be 
exercised,  a  place  of  waiting  for  the  resurrection  or  re- 
demption of  the  body;  while  to  those  who  deserve  it,  it 
is  a  place  of  punishment,  a  purgatory  or  hell,  where 
spirits   are   buffeted   until   the   day   of   redemption." 

Alma's  Teaching. — To  the  foregoing  should  be  added 
the  testimony  of  Alma  the  Nephite,  upon  the  same  sub- 
ject : 

"Now  concerning  the  state  of  the  soul  between  death 
and  the  resurrection — Behold,  it  has  been  made  known 
unto  me  by  an  angel,  that  the  spirits  of  all  men,  as  soon 
as  they  are  departed  from  this  mortal  body,  yea,  the  spirits 


292  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZON. 

01  all  men,  whether  they  be  good  or  evil,  are  taken  home 
10  that  God  who  gave  them  life. 

"And  then  shall  it  come  to  pass  that  the  spirits  of 
those  who  are  righteous,  are  received  into  a  state  of  hap- 
piness, which  is  called  paradise;  a  state  of  rest;  a  state  of 
peace,  where  the\'  shall  rest  from  all  their  troubles  and 
from  all  care,  and  sorrow. 

"And  then  shall  it  come  to  pass,  that  the  spirits  of  the 
wicked,  yea,  who  are  evil — for  behold,  they  have  no  part 
nor  portion  of  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord ;  for  behold,  they  chose 
evil  works  rather  than  good ;  therefore  the  spirit  of  the 
devil  did  enter  into  them,  and  take  possession  of  theii 
house — and  these  shall  be  cast  out  into  outer  darkness ; 
there  shall  be  weeping,  and  wailing,  and  gnashing  of 
teeth;  and  this  because  of  their  own  iniquity;  being  led 
captive  by  the  will  of  the  devil. 

"Now  this  is  the  state  of  the  souls  of  the  wdcked,  yea, 
in  darkness,  and  a  state  of  awful,  fearful,  looking  for  the 
fiery  indignation  of  the  wrath  of  God  upon  them;  thus 
thev  remain  in  this  state,  as  well  as  the  righteous  in 
paradise,  until  the  time  of  their  resurrection.' 

A  Vision  of  Redemption. — President  Joseph  F.  Smith, 
cnly  a  short  while  before  his  death,  saw  in  a  "vision  of 
the  redemption  of  the  dead,"  the  Savior's  visit  to  the  world 
of  spirits,  as  recorded  in  the  first  epistle  of  Peter.^"  The 
President's  account  of  what  he  beheld  follows : 

"I  saw  the  hosts  of  the  dead,  both  small  and  great, 
3nd  there  were  gathered  together  in  one  place  an  in- 
numerable company  of  the  spirits  of  the  just.  .  .  They  were 
filled  wnth  joy  and  gladness,  and  were  rejoicing  together 
because  the  dav  of  their  deliverance  was  at  hand.   .    .   The 


/.  Alma  40:11-14. 
m.  1  Peter  3:18-20. 


THE  SPIRIT  WORLD  293 

Son  of  God  appeared,  and  preached  to  them  the  ever- 
lasting gospel. 

"I  perceived  that  the  Lord  w^ent  not  in  person  among 
the  wicked  and  disobedient  who  had  rejected  the  truth, 
tc  teach  them;  but  behold  from  among  the  righteous  he 
organized  his  forces  and  appointed  messengers,  clothed 
with  power  and  authority,  and  commissioned  them  to  go 
forth  and  carry  the  light  of  the  gospel  to  them  that 
were  in  darkness,  even  to  all  the  spirits  of  men. 

"I  beheld  that  the  faithful  Elders  of  this  dispensa- 
tion, when  they  depart  from  mortal  life,  continue  their 
labors  in  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  ...  among 
those  who  are  in  darkness  and  under  bondage  of  sin  in 
the  great  world  of  the  spirits  of  the  dead."" 

Personal  and  Proxy  Ministrations. — The  new  light 
here  thrown  upon  the  subject  proceeds  from  the  declara- 
tion that  when  the  Savior  visited  the  inhabitants  of 
the  spirit  world,  it  was  by  proxy,  and  not  in  person,  so  far 
as  the  wicked  were  concerned.  He  ministered  to  the 
righteous  directly,  and  to  the  unrighteous  indirectly,  send- 
ing to  the  latter  his  servants,  bearing  the  authority  of 
the  Priesthood,  and  duly  commissioned  to  speak  and  act 
for  him.  President  Smith's  pronouncement  modifies  the 
view  commonly  taken,  that  the  Savior's  personal  ministry 
was  to  both  classes  of  spirits.'' 

A  Temporary  Abode.— Thus  we  see  that  the  Spirit 
World  is  not  Heaven,  except  in  a  relative  sense,  and  then 
only  in  part.  It  is  a  temporary  abode  for  God's  children, 
while  undergoing  pr6cesses  of  purification  and  development, 
as  a  preparation  for  better  things  beyond.  Heaven,  on  the 
other  hand— heaven  in  the  highest  degree— is  the  perman- 
ent home  of  the  perfected  and  glorified. 

n    Gospel   Doctrine,  pp.  596-601. 

o.  Compare  3  Nephi  15:21-24:  D.  &  C.  76:112. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-EIGHT. 

Spirit  Promptings. 

Spirit  Memories. — Writing  one  day  upon  the  subject 
of  spirit  memories,  and  the  influence  exerted  upon  the  af- 
fairs of  this  life  by  the  awakened  recollections  of  a  for- 
mer experience,  I  found  myself  indulging  in  the  follow- 
ing reflections: 

Why  are  we  drawn  toward  certain  persons,  and 
they  toward  us,  independently  of  any  known  previous 
acquaintance?  Is  it  a  fact,  or  only  a  fancy,  that  we  and 
they  were  mutually  acquainted  and  mutually  attracted  in 
some  earlier  period  of  our  eternal  existence?  Is  there 
something,  after  all,  in  that  much  abused  term  ''affinity," 
and  is  this  the  basis  of  its  claim?  More  than  once,  after 
meeting  someone  whomt  I  had  never  met  before  on 
earth,  I  have  wondered  why  his  or  her  face  seemed  so 
familiar.  Many  times.  Upon  hearing  a  noble  sentiment 
expressed,  though  unable  to  recall  having  heard  it  until 
then,  I  have  been  thrilled  by  it,  and  felt  as  if  I  had  always 
known  it.  The  same  is  true  of  music,  some  strains  of 
which  are  like  echoes  from  afar,  sounds  falling  from  celes- 
tial heights,  notes  struck  from  the  vibrant  •  harps  of 
eternity.  I  do  not  assert  pre-acquaintance  in  all  such 
cases,  but  as  one  thought  suggests  another,  these  queries 
arise  in  the  mind. 

The  Shepherd's  Voice. — When  it  comes  to  the  Gospel, 
I  feel  more  positive.  Why  did  the  Savior  say:  *'My 
sheep  know  my  voice?"  Can  a  sheep  know  the  voice  of 
its  shepherd,  if  it  has  never  heard  that  voice  before?  They 
who    love    Truth,      and      to    whom    it    appeals    most   pow- 


SPIRIT  PROMPTINGS  295 

erfully,  were  they  not  its  best  friends  in  a  previous  state 
of  existence?  I  think  so.  I  believe  that  v^e  knew  the 
Gospel  before  we  came  here,  and  it  is  this  knowledge, 
this  acquaintance,  that  gives  to  it   a   familiar  sound. 

Very  much  in  the  same  vein,  I  once  wrote  to  Presi- 
dent Joseph  F.  Smith — he  at  the  time  in  Utah,  and  I  on 
a  mission  in  Europe.     Here  is  his  reply: 

President  Smith's  View. — "I  heartily  endorse  your 
sentiments  respecting  congeniality  of  spirits.  Our  knowl- 
edge of  persons  and  things  before  we  came  here,  com- 
bined with  the  divinity  awakened  within  our  souls 
through  obedience  to  the  gospel;  powerfully  affects,  in 
my  opinion,  all  our  likes  and  dislikes,  and  guides  our 
preferences  in  the  course  of  this  life,  provided  we  give 
careful  heed  to  the  admonitions  of  the  Spirit. 

"All  those  salient  truths  which  come  so  forcibly  to  the 
head  and  heart  seem  but  the  awakening  of  the  memories 
of  the  spirit.  Can  we  know  anything  here  that  we  did 
not  know  before  we  came?  Are  not  the  means  of  knowl- 
edge in  the  first  estate  equal  those  of  this?  I  think  that 
the  spirit,  before  and  after  this  probation,  possesses 
greater  facilities,  aye,  manifold  greater,  for  the  acquisi- 
tion of  knowledge,  than  while  manacled  and  shut  up  in 
the  prison-house  of  mortality.  I  believe  that  our  Savior 
possessed  a  foreknowledge  of  all  the  vicissitudes  through 
which  he  would  have  to  pass  in  the  mortal  tabernacle   .    . 

"If  Christ  knew  beforehand,  so  did  we.  But  in  com- 
ing here,  we  forgot  all,  that  our  agency  might  be  free  in- 
deed, to  choose  good  or  evil,  that  we  might  merit  the 
reward  of  our  own  choice  and  conduct.  But  by  the  power 
of  the  Spirit,  in  the  redemption  of  Christ,  through  obe- 
dience, we  often  catch  a  spark  from  the  awakened  mem- 


296  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 

ories  of  the  immortal  soul,  which  lights  up  our  whole 
being  as  with  the  glory  of  our  former  home."^ 

"A  Glance  Behind  the  Curtain." — Closely  akin  to 
these  reflections,  are  some  pointed  and  telling  lines  in 
which  the  poet  Lowell  expresses  his  conviction  rejs^ard- 
ing  the  influence  of  the  unseen  world  upon  the  world 
visible.  The  action  of  the  poem  from  which  the  lines  are 
taken  deals  with  Oliver  Cromwell  and  John  Hampden, 
English  patriots,  who  are  represented  as  about  to  flee  from 
the  tyranny  of  King  Charles  the  First,  and  seek  a  new 
home  overseas,  joining  the  little  band  of  Puritans  who 
have  already  found  a  haven  on  western  Atlantic  shores. 
Hampden  urges  flight,  but  Cromwell  hesitates.  Some- 
thing within  tells  him  not  to  go — tells  him  that  Freedom 
has  a  work  for  him  to  do,  not  in  America,  but  in  his  own 
land,  where  he  afterwards  overthrew  the  royal  tyrant,  be- 
came Lord  Protector  of  the  Commonwealth,  and  broad- 
ened and  deepened  the  foundations  of  English  liberty. 
The  opening  verses  of  the  poem  contain  the  crux  of  the 
whole  matter  under  discussion : 

We  see  but  half  the  causes  of  our  deeds, 
Seeking  them  wholly  in  the  outer  life, 
And  heedless  of  the  encircling  spirit  world, 
Which,  though  unseen,  is  felt,  and  sows  in  us 
All  germs  of  pure  and  world-wide  purposes. 

The  fate  of  England  and  of  freedom  once 
Seemed  wavering  in  the  heart  of  one  plain  man. 
One  step  of  his,  and  the  great  dial-hand 
That  marks  the  destined  progress  of  the  world 
In  the  eternal  round  from  wisdom  on 
To  higher  wisdom,  had  been  made  to  pause 
A  hundred  years. 


a,  Gospel   Doctrine,  pp.   15,  16. 


SPIRIT  PROMPTIXGS  297 

That  step  he  did  not  take — 
He  knew  not  why,  nor  we,  but  only  God, 
And  lived  to  make  his  simple  oaken  chair 
More  terrible   and  grandly  beautiful, 
More  full  of  majesty  than  any  throne, 
Before  or  after,  of  a  British  king> 

A  Well  Warranted  Conviction. — How  much  of  fact 
and  how  much  of  fiction,  are  here  interwoven,  matters 
not  for  the  purpose  of  this  argument.  It  was  the  poet's 
belief  that  such  things-  could  be,  a  belief  shared  by 
myriads  of  Christian  men  and  women,  and  confirmed 
by  a  multiplicity  of  experiences. 

Columbus  and  "The  Voice." — In  another  poem — ''Co- 
lumbus"— Lowell  sets  forth  the  same  idea,  that  of  whis- 
perings or  suggestions  from  beyond  the  "veil"  hiding  the 
spirit  world  from  this  world  of  flesh  and  blood.  The 
great  mariner  is  supposed  to  be  standing  on  the  deck  of 
his  ocean-tossed  vessel,  soliloquizing  over  the  situation 
surrounding  him :  A  yet  undiscovered  country  ahead,  a 
mutinous  and  grumbling  crew  behind,  threatening  to  put 
him  in  irons  and  turn  the  ship's  prow  toward  Spain,  if 
sight  of  the  promised  shore  of  India — for  which  Colum- 
bus set  sail — came  not  with  the  break  of  dawn.  A  world 
of  care  weighs  him  down,  a  sense  of  solitude  and  utter 
loneliness,  but  his  soul  hears  "the  voice  that  errs  not," 
and  is  patient  and  trustful  to  the  hour  of  complete  tri- 
umph,^ 

Nephi  and  the  Spirit. — That  it  was  indeed  "the  voice 
that  errs  not"  which  inspired  Columbus,  upholding  and 
urging  him  on  to  the  consummation  of  the  great  en- 
terprise he  had  undertaken,  we  have  sacred  and  indisput- 
able evidence.    Long  before  Columbus  crossed  the  ocean, 


b,  J.    R.    Lowell's    Poems,    "A    Glance    Behind    the    Curtain.' 

c,  lb.  "Columbus."" 


298  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZON. 

an  American  prophet  and  seer,  Nephi  by  name,  looking 
down  the  vista  of  twenty  centuries,  forecast  the  career 
of  that  man  of  destiny,  telling  how  "the  Spirit  of  God" 
would  impel  him  to  cross  "the  many  waters"  to  this 
"promised  land ;"  and  how  the  same  Spirit,  moving  upon 
others,  would  induce  them  to  follow  in  the  wake  of  the 
mighty  explorer.  That  prophet  beheld  in  vision  the 
war  for  American  Independence,  the  successful  struggle 
of  the  oppressed  colonies  against  the  mother  country,  and 
the  founding  here  of  a  free  government,  a  heaven-favored 
nation,  destined  to  foster  and  give  protection  to  the 
growing  work  of  God  in  after  days.  And  this  revealing 
Spirit — so  Nephi  affirms — was  more  than  an  inward 
monitor:  "I  spake  unto  him  as  a  man  speaketh,  for  I 
beheld  that  he  was  in  the  form  of  man;  yet,  nevertheless, 
I  knew  that  it  was  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord!  and  he  spake 
unto  me  as  a  man  speaketh  with  another."*^ 

The  Holy  Ghost. — Evidently  it  was  the  Holy  Ghost 
who  communed  with  Nephi,  though  he  is  here  spoken  of 
as  "the  Spirit  of  God,  and  'the  Spirit  of  the  Lord." 
"The  Holy  Ghost  is  a  personage  of  spirit;"^  and  though 
not  in  a  tabernacle  like  the  Father  or  the  Son,  he  is  never- 
theless in  human  form,  and  Nephi  beheld  him  and  con- 
versed with  him. 

The  Unerring  Guide. — The  experience  of  Columbus 
differed  from  that  of  Nephi,  notably  in  this  particular : 
Nephi  "beheld,"  while  Columbus  was  moved  upon — yet 
it  was  the  same  Spirit  in  each  instance.  It  was  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  that  the  Savior  was  speaking,  when  he 
said  to  his  disciples :  "He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth."/" 
The  mission  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  to  make  manifest  the 


d,  1  Nephi  11:11;  13:10-19. 

e,  D.  &  C.  130:22. 

f,  John  16:13. 


SPIRIT  PROMPTINGS  299 

things  of  God,  past,  present  and  future,  explaining  the 
purpose  of  this  mortal  life,  revealing  to  man  his  eternal 
origin  and  destiny,  and  answering  the  otherwise  un- 
answerable questions — whence?  whither?  and  why? 

Wordsworth's  "Intimation." — It  was  this  Spirit  that 
inspired  the  poet  Wordsworth,  bringing  the  forgotten  past 
to  his  remembrance,  and  prompting  the  utterance  of  the 
noble   thoughts  embodied  in  these  lofty  lines : 

Our  birth  is  but  a  sleep  and  a  forgetting; 

The   soul   that  rises   with   us,   our  life's   star, 
Hath  had  elsewhere  its  setting, 

And  cometh  from  afar ; 
Not  in  entire  forgetfulness, 
And  not  in  utter  nakedness, 
But  trailing  clouds  of  glory  do  we  come 
From  God  who  is  our  home.^ 

Truth  and  Bigotry. — The  big  thought  was  too  broad 
for  the  narrow,  rigid  orthodoxy  of  Wordsworth's  time, 
which  could  allow  for  the  pre-existence  of  the  Son  of 
God,  but  not  for  that  of  the  race  in  general.  "And  now,  O 
Father,  glorify  thou  me  with  thine  own  self,  with  the 
glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the  world  was."^^  This 
wonderful  prayer  from  the  lips  of  the  Savior  was  too  plain 
to  be  misunderstood.  It  was  clear  that  Jesus  Christ,  "the 
Word"  that  was  "in  the  beginning  with  God,"  and  "was 
God,"  before  he  "was  made  flesh,"  ^  had  lived  before  this 
life.  But  man,  "mere  man,"  was  an  earth-worm,  made 
out  of  nothing,  and  consequently  had  no  pre-existence. 
So    Christian   orthodoxy   maintained;   and   Wordsworth 


g,  Wordsworth's    Poems,    "Intimations    of     Immortality,"     first 
published    in    1807. 
/i,  John  17:5. 
i.  lb.  1 :1-14. 


300  BEVOXD  THE  HORIZON. 

had  to  recant  or  half-way  deny  that  his  heaven-inspired 
"intimation"  meant  as  much  as  his  bigoted  censors 
seemed  to  fear.     Nevertheless, 

"Got  but  the   truth   once  uttered,   and   'tis   like 
A  star  new-born,  that  drops  into  its  place. 
And  which,  once  circling  in  its  placid  round, 
Not  all  the  tumult  of  the  earth   can   shake." 

The  truth  uttered  by  the  great  "poet  of  nature"  touch- 
ing the  previous  life,  v^as  probably  accepted  by  thou- 
sands of  advanced  thinkers;  and  their  acceptance  helped 
to  prepare  the  way  for  a  more  positive  and  more  complete 
presentation  of  the  great  doctrine  of  man's  pre-existence. 
In  this  connection  the  subjoined  verses  from  the  pen 
of  a  "Mormon"  poet,  tell  their  own  eloquent   story  : 

0  my  Father,  thou  that  dwellest 
In  the  high  and  glorious  place ! 

When  shall  I  regain  thy  presence. 

And  again  behold  thy  face? 
In  thy  holy  habitation 

Did  my  spirit  once  reside  ; 
In  my  first  primeval  childhood 

Was  I  nurtured  near  thy  side. 

For  a  wise  and  glorious  purpose 

Thou  hast  placed  me  here  on  earth, 
And  withheld  the  recollection 

Of  my  former  friends  and  birth. 
Yet,  ofttimes  a  secret  something 

Whispered,  "You're  a  stranger  here," 
And  I  felt  that  I  had  wandered 

From  a  more  exalted  sphere. 

1  had  learned  to  call   thee   Father, 
Through  thy  Spirit  from  on  high; 

But  until  the  Key  of  Knowledge 
Was  restored,  I  knew  not  why. 


SPIRIT  PROMPTINGS  301 

In  the  heavens  are  parents  smgle? 

No,  the  thought  makes  reason  stare! 
Truth  is  reason — truth  eternal 

Tells  me  I've  a  Mother  there. 

When  I  leave  this  frail  existence, 

When   I  lay  this  mortal  by, 
Father,  Mother,  may  I  meet  you 

In  your  royal  courts  on  high? 
Then,  at  length,  when  I've  completed 

All  you  sent  me  forth  to  do, 
With  your  mutual  approbation 

Let  me  come  and  dwell  with  you./ 

How  wonderfully  clear  and  comprehensive ! — past, 
present  and  future  circumscribed  in  brief  compass,  the 
mystery  of  the  former  life  unfolded,  the  meaning  of  all 
existence  made  plain. 

Maeterlinck  and  "The  Bluebird."— Maeterlinck,  the 
Belgian  poet,  author  of  'The  Bluebird,"  in  that  section 
of  his  dramatic  masterpiece  entitled  "The  Kingdom  of 
the  Future,"  deals  with  the  pre-mortal  life,  and  with  the 
spirits  of  little  children  waiting  to  be  brought  down 
to  earth  to  be  born  here.  Old  Father  Time  is  there  with- 
his  barge,  gathering  in  the  tiny  passengers,  holding  back 
some  whose  turn  is  not  yet,  and  permitting  others  whose 
birth-hour  is  about  to  strike.  The  barge  being  filled,  he 
sails  away,  and  mingling  with  the  sweet  strains  of  chil- 
dren's voices,  hailing  the  distant  planet  that  is  to  be 
their  new  abode,  rises  from  below  the  song  of  the  mothers 
coming  out  to  meet  them.  When  the  poet's  inspired 
mind  conceived  this  beautiful  creation,  had  he  heard  of 
Eliza  R.  Snow  and  her  invocation  to  the  Eternal  Father 
and  Mother? 


y,  FJiza   R.   Snow's  "Invocation."  L.   D.   S.  Hymn  Book. 


302  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZON. 

The  Same  Note. — I  do  not  impute  plagiarism  in  such 
cases.  There  is  no  monopoly  of  Truth.  It  reveals  itself 
to  whomsoever  it  will,  and  sometimes  it  tells  to  several 
persons,  at  different  times  and  places,  the  same  thing. 
Suffice  it,  that  Eliza  R.  Snow,  when  she  sang  of  the 
"first  primeval  childhood,"  sounded  the  identical  note 
subsequently  struck  by  Maurice  Maeterlinck,  when  por- 
traying so  tenderly  and  so  tellingly  the  heavenly  origin 
and  earthly  advent  of  the  spirits  that  tabernacle  in  mor- 
tality. 

Fame's  Partiality. — Inspiration  was  kind  to  both 
poets,  but  fame  has  been  somewhat  partial.  Some  day, 
when  bigotry  is  dead  and  prejudice  no  longer  has  power 
to  blind  men's  eyes  to  the  truth  and  pervert  their  judg- 
ment, the  just  claims  of  all  inspired  teachers  will  be 
recognized,  if  not  recompensed.  Meanwhile  the  world 
will  go  on  glorifying  one  and  crying  down  another,  as  it 
always  has  done.  It  will  continue  ''tossing  high  its  ready 
cap"  in  honor  of  Maeterlinck,  the  Belgian  poet,  for  the 
beautiful  truths  set  forth  in  his  sublime  symbolic  drama; 
little  realizing  that  the  American  prophet,  Joseph  Smith, 
and  some  who  sat  at  his  feet  learning  wisdom  from  his 
lips,  taught  the  same  and  greater  truths  long  before  Mae- 
terlinck was  born. 

Communications  from  the  Departed. — Many  instances 
might  be  given  of  the  action  and  influence  of  "the  other 
world"  upon  this  world  The  experiences  of  the  Latter- 
day  Saints  alone  would  fill  volumes.  I  refer  particu- 
larly to  those  connected  with  the  gathering  up  of  gen- 
ealogies for  use  in  temple  work,  and  the  work  itself  done 
vicariously  for  the  benefit  of  the  departed.  By  dreams 
and  visions,  by  voices  and  other  manifestations,  spirits 
"behind  the  veil"  have  made  known  their  wishes  to  sur- 


SPIRIT  PROMPTINGS  303 

viving  relatives  in  the  flesh,  so  that  their  left-over  tasks 
might  be  done  for  them,  the  records  of  their  ancestors 
secured,  and  they  in  like  manner  redeemed  through 
sacred  ordinances  performed  in  their  behalf  and  necessary 
to  their  progress  and  happiness  in  spheres  beyond. 


ARTICLE  THIRTY-NINE. 
Do  the  Dead  Return? 

Hamlet  and  the  Ghost. — I  had  always  thought  it 
strange  that  a  great  Christian  poet  like  Shakespeare,  after 
portraying,  as  he  does  in  ''Hamlet,"  an  interview  between 
the  Prince  of  Denmark  and  his  father's  ghost,  should  re- 
fer to  the  spirit  world  as  "that  undiscovered  country  from 
whose  bourne  no  traveler  returns."  Had  not  the  ghost 
returned  from  that  very  "country,"  for  the  special  pur- 
pose of  this  interview? 

While  deeming  it  contradictory,  my  admiration  and 
reverence  for  the  immortal  bard  induced  me  to  mini- 
mize and  even  excuse  the  apparent  inconsistency.  In 
his  behalf  I  argued  that  it  was  Hamlet,  not  Shakespeare, 
who  interviewed  the  Ghost  at  Castle  Elsinore;  that  it 
was  the  prince  and  not  the  poet  who  soliloquized  rela- 
tive to  the  non-returning  "traveler."  I  took  the  ground 
that  Shakespeare,  in  writing  the  play  of  "Hamlet,"  was 
not  presenting  the  author's  autobiography,  and  should 
not,  therefore,  be  held  responsible  for  the  idiosyncrasies 
of  "the  melancholy  Dane ;"  he  being  mad,  and  mad  peo- 
ple having  the  right  to  say  what  they  please,  no  matter 
how  much  they  contradict  themselves  or  speak  and  act 
inconsistently. 

A  Better  Defense. — But  all  the  while  there  was  a  bet- 
ter defense  for  both  Shakespeare  and  Hamlet — if  a  certain 
hypothesis  be  well  founded,  the  supporters  of  which 
would  have  us  believe  that  the  famed  soliloquy,  "To  be 
or  not  be,"  wherein  the  allusion  to  the  spirit  "traveler" 
occurs,  originally  had  place  nearer  the  beginning  of  the 
play  and  before  Hamlet  had  seen  the  Ghost.  Not  Shake- 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN f  30d 

spearc,  therefore,  nor  Hamlet,  but  some  one  who  tam- 
pered with  the  poet's  masterpiece  after  his  death — "a  cus- 
tom more  honored  in  the  breach  than  the  observance" — 
is  to  1)e  held  responsible  for  the  incongruity.  Such  is  the 
suogestion  put  forth  by  one  or  more  literary  savants.  Al- 
lowing it  to  be  true,  Shakespeare  and  the  Bible  are  thus 
reconciled,  and  Hamlet  is  no  longer  in  the  attitude  of  dis- 
puting the  sacred  account  of  the  risen  Savior's  personal 
appearing  to  his  disciples,  after  his  return  from  the  spirit 
world.'' 

Belasco  and  "Peter  Grimm." — That  the  creator  of 
Hamlet  and  Macbeth  1)elieved  in  spirits,  and  made  plen- 
tiful use  of  them  as  part  of  his  "celestial  machinery,"  is 
evident  from  the  works  of  the  master  dramatist ;  and  that 
his  talented  disciple,  David  Belasco,  likewise  favors  such 
usage,  is  plainly  shown  in  that  intensely  interesting  book 
and  play,  "The  Return  of  Peter  Grimm."  Let  me  briefly 
review  the  story. 

Peter  Grimm,  an  honest,  elderly  Dutch-American, 
carrying  on  the  business  of  florist  at  Grimm  Manor,  a 
suburl)  of  New  York  City,  has  a  friend  and  family  phy- 
sician in  Alexander  McPherson,  w^ho,  I  need  not  say,  is  a 
Scotchman.  He  is  also  a  spiritualist,  deeply  interested 
in  the  laws  of  psychic  phenomena,  and  exceedingly 
tenacious  of  his  occult  views. 

Grim  is  bluntly  skeptical  upon  the  subject,  a/nd 
he  and  his  Scotch  friend  have  many  a  Avarm  debate 
thereon.  Finally  McPherson  proposes  a  compact  to  this 
effect :  Whichever  one  of  the  twain  shall  pass  away  first, 
his  spirit  will  return,  if  possible,  and  communicate  with 
the  other,  making  known  the  secrets  of  the  after 
life.  Grimm  laughs  at  the  idea,  even  ridicules  it,  but  at  last 


a,  Luke  24:36-39. 

20 


306  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 

consents,  and  with  a  flash  of  humor  sugg-estive  of  his 
name,  says:  "If  I  find  I  am  wrong,  when  I  come  back 
I  will  apologize." 

A  little  later  the  florist  dies  suddenly  of  heart  fail- 
ure. He  passes  into  the  spirit  world,  and  there  obtains 
leave  to  "revisit  the  glimpses  of  the  moon,"  as  Hamlet 
puts  it;  in  other  words,  to  return  to  Grimm  Manor  and 
rectify  a  mistake  made  by  him  while  in  the  flesh — a 
mistake  affecting  the  happiness  of  his  adopted  daugh- 
ter Kathrien,  who,  yielding  to  his  insistence,  has  given  up 
the  man  she  loved,  and  has  agreed  to  marry  Grimm's 
nephew,  Frederic.  This  young  man  is  a  villain,  whose 
unworthiness  his  uncle  discovers  after  his  arrival  in  "the 
undiscovered  country,"  from  which  he  now  proposes  to 
"return"  and  prevent  the  marriage  previously  planned. 

The  wrong  is  to  be  righted  by  thei  delivery  of  a 
message.  But  how  "get  the  message  across?"  That  is 
the  problem  of  the  play.  "Not  every  one  can  receive  a 
communication  from  the  spirit  world."  So  McPherson 
has  said  in  one  of  his  conversations  with  Grimm,  adding 
that  "the  receiver  must  be  a  sensitive,  a  medium." 

Strange  to  say,  the  old  Scotch  physician  is  of  no  help 
whatever  in  the  predicament  now  facing  his  departed 
friend.  He  knows  all  about  spirits— is  saturated  with  the 
lore  of  the  subject;  but  he  is  not  a  "sensitive,"  and  can- 
not therefore  "receive." 

The  spirit  of  Grimm,  re-entering  his  old  home,  makes 
-persistent  efforts  to  be  seen  or  heard  by  some  member  of 
the  household ;  but  all  in  vain.  None  of  his  family,  none 
of  his  friends,  can  behold  him  or  hear  his  pathetic  plead- 
ings. Yes— there  is  one  who  can;  a  little  invalid  boy, 
Frederick's  illegitimate  child,  who  is  wasting  away  with 
a  fever.  The  veil  is  thin  between  him  and  the  spirit  land, 
to  which  he  will  accompany  Peter  Grimm,  after  the  lat- 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURX?  307 

ter's  earthly  errand  is  accomplished.  This  little  lad 
is  a  "sensitive."  He  sees  the  spirit,  receives  the  meessage, 
and  the  threatened  misalliance  is  averted,  Kathrien  and 
her  worthy  lover  being  happily  reunited. 

Fiction  and  Fact. — Such  is  the  story  of  Peter  Grimm 
and  his  return  from  the  world  of  spirits.  It  is  pure  fic- 
tion, of  course;  but  fiction  often  supports  fact,  and  is 
even  less  strange,  as  a  well-worn  proverb  affirms.  Never- 
theless, it  will  be  seen  from  what  follows  that  I  am  not 
in  absolute  harmony  with  Belasco's  ingenious  presenta- 
tion of  the  spiritualistic  theme.  My  views  upon  the 
subject  are  not  based  upon  the  theories  of  men ;  they  are 
founded  upon  the  revelations  of  God. 

Spirits  in  Prison. — That  the  inhabitants  of  the  spirit 
world,  or  some  of  them,  return  at  times  and  communi- 
cate with  mortals,  I  am  perfectly  well  assured.  But  I  am 
not  convinced  that  any  and  every  spirit  is  at  liberty  to  re- 
turn, whatever  the  "compacts"  that  may  have  been  en- 
tered into  beforehand.  Some  spirits  are  "in  prison."^ 
Of  what  avail  would  a  compact  be  in  their  case,  unless 
their  jailor  or  some  higher  power  were  a  party  to  it?  Evi- 
dently the  spirits  that  communicate  with  mortals  are  not 
of  that  class,  unless  it  be  in  exceptional  cases,  where 
leave  of  absence  has  been  granted  for  some  special  reason. 

A  House  of  Order. — God's  house  is  a  house  of  order, 
and  the  spirit  world  is  a  room  in  that  house.  This  being 
the  case,  it  is  only  reasonable  to  conclude  that  before  any- 
thing important  or  unusual  can  take  place  there,  the 
Master  of  the  Mansion  must  first  give  consent.  Other- 
wise confusion  would  prevail,  and  the  divine  purpose  for 
which  the  veil  was  dropped  between  the  two  worlds 
might  be  thwarted. 


h,  1   Peter  3:18-20. 


308  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZOX. 

Unembodied  and  Disembodied  Spirits. — Spirits  are  of 
two  kinds — the  unembodied  and  the  disembodied;  that  is 
to  say,  those  who  have  not  tabernacled  in  the  flesh,  and 
those  who,  after  taking  bodies  on  earth,  have  passed 
out  of  them.  It  matters  not  which  class  is  considered ;  in 
any  case,  permission  from  the  Great  Father  would  have 
to  be  obtained  before  one  of  his  children,  either  an  un- 
embodied or  a  disembodied  spirit,  could  make  itself  mani- 
fest to  mortals. 

The  Question  of  Receptivity. — Moreover,  as  Belasco, 
through  Di.  McPherson,  aims  to  show,  not  every  mortal 
is  qualified  to  receive  a  message  from  "the  other  side." 
One  must  be  fittingly  endowed,  must  have  the  proper  gift, 
in  order  to  get  a  communication  of  that  kind."^  Earthly  ties 
would  not  necessarily  govern.  Other  and  higher 
relationships  are  involved.  There  must  be  capacity 
as  well  as  a  desire  to  receive.  Because  men  like 
Moses  and  Joseph  Smith  saw  God,  is  no  sign  that  any 
man  can  see  him.  ''Choice  seers"  were  they,  very  dif- 
ferent from  ordinary  men.  All  human  beings  can  ob- 
tain blessings  from  heaven,  but  not  always  in  the  same 
way.  There  are  diversities  of  gifts  and  varying  degrees 
of  receptivity.  Wireless  telegraphy  furnishes  a  hint 
in  this  connection.  Unless  there  be  a  receiving  station 
with  an  apparatus  properly  attuned,  a  message  launched 
upon  the  ether  would  find,  like  Noah's  dove,  "no  rest 
for  the  sole  of  her  foot."^ 

Future  Occupations. — In  one  of  the  supposed  conver- 
sations between  Peter  Grimm  and  Doctor  McPherson, 
the  subject  of  future  occupations  is  discussed.  The  "com- 
pact" having  been  entered  into,  the  Doctor  says:  "I  would 
like  you  to  find  out,  if  you  can,  what  we  do  in  the  other 


c,  1  Cor.  12:4-11. 

d.  Gen.  8:9. 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURXf  309 

world.  I  would  like  to  know  if  I  have  got  to  go  on 
being  a  bone-setter  throughout  all  eternity."  Grimm's 
reply  is  characteristic :  ''Well,  you  would  stand  a  better 
chance  for  success,  having  practiced  it  all  your  life  here, 
than  a  novice  who  simply  took  it  up  there,  wouldn't  you?" 
The  florist's  argument  is  logical,  but  like  the  ques- 
tion that  called  it  forth,  somewhat  misapplied.  ''A  spirit 
hath  not  flesh  and  bones."''  Bone-setting,  therefore,  does 
not  belong  to  the  spirit  world.  Nevertheless,  there  must 
be  occupations  in  the  future  life,  of  which  those  in  the 
present  life  may  be  regarded  as  typical,  or  in  the  nature 
of  a  preparation,  leading  up  to  loftier  employments.  If 
a  follower  of  Joseph  Smith  were  asked :  "How  do  you 
expect  to  spend  eternity?"  he  would  not  agree  with  that 
clergyman  who  said,  in  answer  to  the  same  question:  "I 
expect  to  spend  the  first  million  years  gazing  upon  the 
face  of  the  Savior."  The  Latter-day  Saint  would  be  very 
apt  to  reply:  *T  expect  to  do  hereafter  what  I  have 
learned  to  do  here,  but  with  more  perfect  means  and  in 
higher  and  better  ways." 

"And  every  power  find  sweet  emplo}- 
In    that    eternal    world    of   joy." 

Evil  Spirits  at  Large. — A  very  important  question 
now  arises:  How  may  good  or  bad  spirits  be  known? 
For  every  spirit  is  not  good,  nor  is  every  spiritual  mani- 
festation genuine.  There  are  frauds  and  counterfeits  in- 
numerable. Even  if  real  spirits  and  actual  manifestations 
are  alone  considered,  we  must  still  be  on  our  guard 
against  deception.  There  are  many  evil  spirits  in  this 
^vorld — spirits  that  have  never  had  bodies.  They  are 
here    by   permission    or   toleration    of    the    Most    High, 


e,  Luke  24:39. 


310  BEYOND  THE  HORIZON. 

against  whom  they  rebelled  when  the  Savior  was  chosen. 
Satan  and  his  legions,  those  cast  out  of  heaven,  are  all 
wicked  spirits,  and  they  wander  up  and  down  the  world, 
endeavoring  to  lead  mortals  astray.  Wherever  possible, 
they  take  possession  of  the  bodies  of  men  and  even  of  the 
lower  animals.''  Therefore  is  power  given  to  the  Priest- 
hood to  "cast  out  devils."^  Against  these  fallen  spirits, 
mortals  must  be  ever  on  the  defensive,  lest  their  souls  be 
ensnared.  Temptation,  however,  is  an  important  factor 
in  man's  probation;  for  by  resisting  it,  the  soul  is  de- 
veloped and  made  stronger.  This  is  probably  one  rea- 
son why  the  pernicious  activity  of  such  spirits  is  tolerated. 
Punished  in  part  by  being  denied  bodies,  the  full  pen- 
alty for  their  misdeeds — the  second  death — is  yet  to  be 
visited  upon  them. 

Spiritualism  a  Reality. — Spiritualism  is  not  altogether 
what  some  people  imagine.  Despite  the  frauds  connected 
with  it,  it  is  a  reality,  and  was  recognized  as  such  long 
before  Sir  Oliver  Lodge  and  Sir  A.  Conan  Doyle  pro- 
claimed their  conversion  thereto,  thus  lending  to  it  the 
prestige  of  their  illustrious  names.  But  all  realities  are 
not  righteous.  Because  there  is  a  devil — an  actual  de- 
mon and  his  dupes,  is  no  reason  why  we  should  asso- 
ciate with  them,  confide  in  them,  or  accept  their  evil 
communications. 

How  can  We  Know? — There  are  bad  spirits  as  well 
as  good,  and  the  vital  question  is :  How  can  we  know  the 
difference  between  them?  Let  us  at  this  stage  consult 
an  expert — for  there  are  such — one  who  came  in  contact 
with  spiritual  forces  to  a  marvelous  extent,  not  only  receiv- 
ing messages  from  other  worlds,  but  also  interviewing 
the  messengers.     Josei)h  Smith  knew  the  difference  be- 

f.  Acts  19:13-16;  Mark  5:12.  13. 

-.  Tb.  16:17:  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  5,  p.  403. 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN f  311 

tween  good  and  evil  communicants,  and  here  is  his  testi- 
mony concerning  them : 

Expert  Testimony. — ''When  a  messenger  comes,  say- 
ing he  has  a  message  from  God,  offer  him  your  hand, 
and  request  him  to  shake  hands  with  you. 

*'If  he  be  an  angel,  he  will  do  so,  and  you  will  feel 
his  hand."  [An  angel  is  a  resurrected  being,  with  a 
body  as  tangible  as  man's.] 

"If  he  be  the  spirit  of  a  just  man  made  perfect,  he 
will  come  in  his  glory;  for  that  is  the  only  way  he  can 
appear. 

**Ask  him  to  shake  hands  with  you,  but  he  will  not 
move,  because  it  is  contrary  to  the  order  of  heaven  for 
a  just  man  to  deceive;  but  he  will  still  deliver  his  mes- 
sage. 

"If  it  be  the  Devil  as  an  angel  of  light,  when  you 
ask  him  to  shake  hands,  he  will  offer  you  his  hand,  and 
you  will  not  feel  anything  [he  also  being  without  a 
body].     You  may  therefore  detect  him."''' 

In  another  place,  the  Prophet  says :  "Wicked  spirits 
have  their  bounds,  limits  and  laws,  by  which  they  are 
governed ;  and  it  is  very  evident  that  they  possess  a 
power  that  none  but  those  who  have  the  Priesthood 
can  control."^  To  his  declaration  that  "a  man  is  saved 
no  faster  than  he  gets  knowledge,"  he  adds  that  if  men  do 
not  get  knowledge,  including  the  knowledge  of  how  to 
control  evil  spirits,  the  latter  will  have  more  power  than 
the  former,  and  thus  be  able  to  dominate  them.  This  is 
precisely  the  condition  of  "the  spirits  in  prison."  They 
are  dominated  by  a  power  which  they  cannot  control. 
They  are  in  Hell,  and  Satan  sways  the  scepter  over  his 
own  dominion. 

h,  D.  &  C.  129:4-8. 

/,  Hist.   Ch.  Vol.  4,  p.  576. 


312  BEYOXD  THE  HOKIZOX. 

Seek  Knowledge  Aright.— To  those  in  quest  of  spir- 
itual light,  this  word  of  counsel :  Seek  it  only  in  the 
Lord's  appointed  way.  Follow  the  advice  of  the  Apostle 
James  and  the  example  of  Joseph  the  Prophet.^  Never 
go  upon  the  Devil's  ground.  Keep  away  from  all  de- 
ceptive influence. ,  One  may  believe  in  hypnotism,  with- 
out being  a  hypnotist,  without  surrendering  one's  will  to 
the  will  of  the  person  exercising  that  power — a  very 
dangerous  power  when  wielded  by  an  unprincipled  pos- 
sessor. In  like  manner,  one  may  believe  spiritualism 
real,  without  becoming  a  spiritualist,  without  attending 
"seances,"  without  consulting  "mediums,"  without  put- 
ting trust  in  planchettes,  ouija  boards,  automatic  pencils, 
false  impersonations,  or  in  any  way  encouraging  the 
advances  of  designing  spirits,  who  thus  gain  an  ascend- 
ancy over  their  victims,  leading  them  into  mazes  of  de- 
lusion, and  often  into  depths  of  despair.  Go  not  after 
them;  and  if  they  come  to  you,  put  them  to  the  test. 
''Try  the  spirits."^  If  they  speak  not  according  to  re- 
vealed truth,  if  they  conform  not  to  divine  standards,  "it 
is  because  there  is  no  light  in  them."^ 

The  Great  Return. — Yes,  the  dead,  or  the  departed,  do 
return.  They  are  no  more  dead  than  we  arc.  Xay,  not 
so  much.  The  Savior's  reappearance  after  death  to  his 
amazed  and  incredulous  disciples — what  was  that  but  a 
return,  a  real  return,  from  the  realm  of  the  departed, 
where,  in  the  interim  between  his  crucifixion  and  resur- 
rection, he  "preached  to  the  spirits  in  prison  ?"  Moreover, 
the  ascended  Lord  promised  another  return,  or  his  angel 
promised  it  for  him,  when  the  "men  of  Galilee"   stood 


;.  James  1:5;  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  1,  pp.  4.  5. 
k,  1  John  4:1. 
/.  Isa.  8:20. 


DO  THE  DEAD  RETURN?  313 

"gazing  up  into  heaven,"  after  ''a  cloud"  had  "received 
him  out  of  their  sight."'"  That  glorious  return  is  nigh. 
All  the  signs  so  indicate.  May  the  kingly  Traveler  from 
heaven  to  earth  meet  a  royal  welcome  when  he  appears! 

;;;,  Acts   1  :9-ll. 


ARTICLE   FORTY. 
The  Goal  Eternal. 

Dante  and  the  Divine  Comedy.— In  the  thirteenth 
century  a  great  Italian  poet,  the  immortal  Dante,  pro- 
(kiced  a  wonderful  work.  "La  Divina  Comedia"— in  English, 
"The  Divine  Comedy."  In  one  part  of  the  poem  the  author 
represents  himself  as  passing  through  Hades.  In  the 
first  circle  of  the  infernal  depths,  a  region  called  "Limbo" 
— described  by  a  footnote  in  my  copy  of  the  work  as  a  place 
''containing  the  souls  of  unbaptized  children  and  of 
those  virtuous  men  and  women  who  lived  before  the 
birth  of  our  Savior" — he  comes  upon  such  characters  as 
Homer,  Virgil,  Plato  and  others  of  their  class,  and  the 
spirit  guide  who  is  conducting  him  through  ''the  realms 
of  shade,"  says : 

— Inquirest   thou   not   what   spirits 
Are  these,  which  thou  beholdest?    Ere  thou  pass 
Farther,  I  would  thou  know,  that  these  of  sin 
Were    blameless;    and    if    aught   they    merited 
It  profits  not,  since  baptism  was  not  theirs, 
The  portal  to  thy  faith.     If  they  before 
The  Gospel  lived,  they  served  not  God  aright; 
And  among  such  am  I. 

For   these   defects 
And  for  no  other  evil,  we  are  lost; 
Only  so  far  afflicted,  that  we  live 
Desiring  without  ]iope.« 

And  this  w^as   all   that   thirteenth   century   theology 
could  say  for  worthies  of  that  stamp — the  best  and  bright- 


er. Hades  or  Hell,  Canto  4,  lines  29-39. 


THE  GOAL  ETERNAL.  315 

est  spirits  of  their  times.  Blameless,  and  yet  in  hell,  ''de- 
siring without  hope,"  simply  because  they  had  lived  on 
earth  when  the  Gospel  was  not  on  earth,  and  had  not 
been  baptized!  Whether  or  not,  as  some  think,  it  was 
the  intent  of  the  poet  to  covertly  satirize  such  teachings, 
is  immaterial  at  the  present  time.  It  is  sufficient  that  he 
had  such  teachings  to  satirize. 

Truth's  Restoration  Imperative. — If  any  reader  of 
mine  wishes  to  know  why  Joseph  Smith  and  "Mormon- 
ism"  came  into)  the  world,  he  need  look  no  further 
to  find  one  of  the  cardinal  reasons.  It  is  furnished  in 
those  lines  from  Dante's  masterpiece,  setting  forth  the 
orthodox  tenet  and  teaching  of  the  Christian  Church  re- 
garding the  spirits  of  the  good  who  depart  this  life  with- 
out undergoing  the  baptismal  ordinance.  This,  and 
that  other  man-made  doctrine,  that  half  the  world  was 
pre-destined  to  be  saved,  and  the  other  half  to  be  damned, 
regardless  of  any  good  or  evil  done  by  them — little  chil- 
dren being  included  in  both  classes — were  widely 
preached  in  Christendom  at  the  time  of  the  advent  of 
"Mormonism."  It  was  imperative  that  a  prophet  should 
arise,  that  the  pure  primitive  faith  should  be  restored, 
and  God's  word  go  forth  once  more  on  its  mission  of 
justice  and  mercy. 

"According  to  Their  Works." — Whatever  Christian 
theology  may  have  taught,  or  whatever  it  may  teach,  in 
support  of  such  doctrines,  the  fact  remains  that  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  does  not,  and  never  did  dispose  of  men's 
precious  souls  in  that  unrighteous,  unreasonable,  un- 
scriptural  manner.  It  does  not  prejudge,  nor  save  nor 
damn,  regardless  of  men's  deserts.  Rewarding  all  ac- 
cording to  their  works,'^  it  gives  to  every  creature,  living 


h,  Rev.  20:12. 


316  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZOX. 

or  dead,  the  opportunity  to  accept  or  reject  it  before 
final  judgment/'  God  is  not  trying  to  damn  the  world; 
he  is  trying  to  save  it — ^but  not  independently  of  the  prin- 
ciples of  truth  and  righteousness. 

A  Nautical  Illustration. — I  was  crossing  the  Atlantic 
on  an  ocean-liner,  and  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  se- 
cure a  first-cabin  berth,  the  only  one  remaining  unsold 
when  I  made  my  purchase.  There  were  upwards  of  a 
hundred  passengers  in  that  part  of  the  vessel.  The  second- 
cabin  compartment  contained  perhaps  twice  as  many; 
and  in  the  steerage  were  several  hundred  more. 

The  first-cabin  berths  were  the  best  furnished  and 
the  most  favorably  situated  for  comfort,  convenience  and 
safety.  The  passengers  were  shown  every  courtesy  ;  their 
food  was  of  the  choicest;  the  captain  and  other  officers 
were  their  associates,  and  they  enjoyed  the  full  freedom 
of  the  ship.  They  might  go  down  onto  the  second-cabin 
deck,  or  lower  down,  into  the  steerage,  and  return  with- 
out hindrance  or  question.  They  had  paid  for  these  privi- 
leges, and  were  therefore  entitled  to  them. 

But  it  was  different  in  the  lower  compartment.  There 
the  food  was  not  so  good,  the  berths  were  less  com- 
fortable, and  the  privileges  fewer.  The  second-class  pas- 
sengers could  descend  into  the  steerage,  but  were  not  per- 
mitted upon  the  first-cabin  deck. 

Conditions  in  the  steerage  were  even  less  favorable. 
The  food  was  still  poorer,  and  the  restrictions  were  yet 
more  rigid.  The  occupants  of  that  section  were  not  al- 
lowed even  second-class  privileges.  They  had  to  remain 
right  where  they  were.  Having  paid  only  for  steerage 
accommodations,  these  were  all  that  they  could  consist- 
ently claim. 


c,  1  Peter  4:6. 


THE  GOAL  ETERNAL.  317 

A  Likeness  of  Human  Destiny. — I  was  struck  with 
the  analogy  existing  between  the  things  that  I  beheld  and 
the  higher  things  which  they  seemed  to  symbolize.  I 
saw  another  illustration  of  the  proverb,  "The  earthly  typi- 
fies the  heavenly,"  and  received  fresh  confirmation  of  the 
poetic  truth :  "All  things  have  their  likeness."  That 
ocean-going  steamer  was  a  likeness  of  human  destiny, 
projecting  the  eternal  future  of  Adam's  race,  as  made 
known  by  divine  revelation.  All  souls  rewarded  accord- 
ing to  their  works — their  varied  works — and  saved  and 
glorified  in  the  ''many  mansions"  of  the  Father.^ 

Celestial   Glory— The   Church   of  the    First   Born.— 

''And  this  is  the  testimony  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  con- 
cerning those  who  come  forth  in  the  resurrection  of  the 
just : 

"They  are  they  who  received  the  testimony  of  Jesus, 
and  believed  on  his  name,  and  were  baptized  after  the 
manner  of  his  burial ;  .    .    . 

"Th^t  by  keeping  the  commandments  they  might  be 
w^ashed  and  cleansed  from  all  their  sins,  and  receive  the 
Holy  Spirit  by  the  laying  on  the  hands  of  him  who  is 
ordained  and  sealed  unto  this  power ; 

"And  who  overcome  by  faith,  and  are  sealed  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  Promisie,  which  the  Father  sheds  forth 
upon  all  those  who  are  just  and  true.   .    .    . 

"They  are  they  who  are  the  Church  of  the  First-born. 

"They  are  they  into  whose  hands  the  Father  has  given 
all  things — 

"They  are  they  who  are  priests  and  kings,  who  have 
received  of  his  fulness  and  of  his  glory   .    .    . 

"Wherefore,  as  it  is  written,  they  are  Gods,  even  the 
sons  of  God — 


d,  John  14:2. 


318  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZON. 

"Wherefore,  all  things  are  theirs,  whether  life  or 
death,  or  things  present  or  things  to  come,  all  are  theirs 
and  they  are  Christ's  and  Christ  is  God's.   .    .    . 

"These  shall  dwell  in  the  presence  of  God  and  his 
Christ  forever  and  ever.    .    .    . 

"These  are  they  whom  he  shall  bring  with  him,  when 
he  shall  come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  reign  on  the 
earth  over  his  people. 

"These  are  they  who  shall  have  part  in  the  first  resur- 
rection. 

"These  are  they  who  shall  come  forth  in  the  resur- 
rection of  the  just. 

"These  are  they  who  are  come  unto  Mount  Zion,  and 
unto  the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  place,  the 
holiest  of  all. 

"These  are  they  who  have  come  to  an  innumerable  com- 
pany of  angels,  to  the  general  assembly  and  church  of 
Enoch,  and  of  the  first-born. 

"These  are  they  whose  names  are  written  in  heaven, 
where  God  and  Christ  are  the  judge  of  all. 

"These  are  they  who  are  just  men  made  perfect 
through  Jesus  the  mediator  of  the  new  covenant,  who 
wrought  out  this  perfect  atonement  through  the  shedding 
of  his  own  blood. 

"These  are  they  whose  bodies  are  celestial,  whose 
glory  is  that  of  the  sun,  even  the  glory  of  God,  the  high- 
est of  all,  whose  glory  the  sun  of  the  firmament  is  writ- 
ten of  as  being  typical."^ 

In  other  words — if  the  maritime  metaphor  be  allowed 
— they  were  first-cabin  passengers  over  the  sea  of  mortal 
life.  They  gave  to  the  great  Captain  the  fulness  of  their 
obedience,  and  received  from  him  the  fulness  of  recogni- 


c,  Vision  of  Joseph  Smith  and  Sidney  Rigdon,  D.  &  C,  76:50-70. 
See  also   131:1.     Compare    1    Cor.   15:40-42. 


THE  GOAL  ETERNAL.  319 

tion  and  reward.  All  privileges,  all  possessions,  are 
theins.  They  associate  with  divine  beings,  and  are  them- 
selves divine. 

Terrestrial  Glory. — Concerning  those  who  attain  to  a 
terrestrial  sphere,  'Svhose  glory  differs  from  that  of  the 
Church  of  the  First-Born,  as  the  moon  differs  from  the 
sun,"  the  Vision  goes  on  to  say : 

''Behold,  these  are  they  who  died  without  law. 

"And  also  they  who  are  the  spirits  of  men  kept  in 
prison,  whom  the  Son  visited  and  preached  the  gospel 
unto  them,  that  they  might  be  judged  according  to  men  in 
the  flesh. 

"Who  received  not  the  testimony  of  Jesus  in  the 
flesh,  but  afterwards  received  it. 

"These  are  they  who  are  honorable  men  of  the  earth 
who  were  blinded  by  the  craftiness  of  men. 

"These  are  they  who  receive  of  his  glory,  but  not  of 
his  fulness. 

"These  are  they  who  receive  of  the  presence  of  the 
Son,  but  not  of  the  fulness  of  the  Father; 

"Wherefore  they  are  bodies  terrestrial,  and  not  bodies 
celestial,  and  differ  in  glory  as  the  moon  differs  from  the 
sun. 

"These  are  they  who  are  not  valiant  in  the  testimony 
of  Jesus;  wherefore  they  obtain  not  the  crown  over  the 
kingdom  of  our  God."^ 

Continuing  the  comparison :  These  voyagers  paid 
only  for  second-rate  privileges.  They  "drew  the  line," 
giving  a  part  but  not  all  of  their  allegiance  to  Him  who 
hath  said :  "Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 
The  things  of  this  world  were  more  precious  in  their  eyes 
than  the  riches  that  perish  not  and  that  thieves  cannot 


f,  D.  &  C,  76:72-79. 


320  BEY  OX  D  THE  HORIZON. 

steal.  They  loved  Truth,  but  not  whole-heartedly.  They 
loved  money  and  pleasure  more,  and  strove  for  fame  and 
the  applause  of  this  world,  rather  than  for  the  approval  of 
heaven.  Though  clean  of  conduct  and  honorable  in  deal, 
they  were  not  zealous  for  Christ,  and  knew  not  the  mean- 
ing of  self-sacrifice.  These  are  worthy  of  the  Kingdom, 
but  not  of  the  Crown ;  and  they  shine,  not  like  the  golden 
sun,  but  like  the  silvery  moon,  with  a  diminished  or  sec- 
ondary radiance,  with  reflected  rather  than  with  original 
light. 

Telestial  Glory — Servants  of  the  Most  High. — As  for 

those  who  inherit  telestial  conditions,  differing  from  the 
terrestrial  as  the  stars  differ  from  the  moon — were  they 
not  symbolized  by  the  steeragG  and  its  occupants? 

''These  are  they  who  are  thrust  down  to  hell.  These 
are  they  who  shall  not  be  redeemed  from  the  Devil,  until 
the  last  resurrection,"  at  the  close  of  the  Millennial  reigfn. 
Criminals  of  every  type  and  grade,  they  "suffer  the  wrath 
of  God  until  the  fulness  of  times,  until  Christ  shall  have 
subdued  all  enemies  under  his  feet  and  shall  have  per- 
fected his  work."  They  receive  not  of  ''his  fulness  in  the 
eternal  world,  but  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the  minis- 
tration of  the  terrestrial ;  and  the  terrestrial  through  the 
ministration  of  the  celestial.  And  also  the  telestial  re- 
ceive it  of  the  administering  of  angels  who  are  ap- 
pointed to  minister  for  them,  or  who  are  appointed  to  be 
ministering  spirits  for  them,  for  they  shall  be  heirs  of 
salvation."^ 

The  heirs  telestial  are  thosje  who  "receive  not  the  Gos- 
pel, neither  the  testimony  of  Jesus,  neither  the  prophets, 
neither  the  everlasting  covenant."  According  to  the  Vis- 
ion, thev  "were  as  innumerable  as  the  stars  in  the  firma- 


g,  D.  &  C,  76:84-88. 


THE  GOAL  ETERNAL.  321 

ment  of  heaven,  or  as  the  sands  upon  the  seashore."  Con- 
cerning this  vast  multitude,  the  voice  of  the  Lord  was 
heard,  saying: 

''These  all  shall  bow  the  knee,  and  every  tongue  shall 
confess  to  Him  who  sits  upon  the  throne  forever  and  ever. 

"For  they  shall  be  judged  according  to  their  works, 
and  every  man  shall  receive  according  to  his  own  works 
his  own  dominion  in  the  mansions  which  are  prepared. 

"And  they  shall  be  servants  of  the  Most  High,  but 
where  God  and  Christ  dwell  they  cannot  come,  worlds 
without  end."'' 

The  Damned  Can  Be  Saved. — Yes,  such  is  "Mormon- 
ism's"  astounding  declaration — and  not  only  saved,  but 
glorified,  if  they  will  repent.  The  glorified  planets  are 
God's  kingdoms,  and  "all  kingdoms  have  a  law  given" — 
celestial,  terrestrial  or  telestial.  Whosoever  inherits  any 
of  these  kingdoms,  must  abide  the  law  pertaining  to  that 
kingdom.  If  he  cannot  abide  "the  Law  of  Christ,"  he 
must  inherit  a  glory  other  than  the  celestial — even  a  ter- 
restrial or  a  telestial  glory.  If  he  cannot  abide  a  teles- 
tial law,  he  is  "not  meet  for  a  kingdom  of  glory;"  and  if 
he  willeth  to  abide  in  sin,  and  altogether  abideth  in  sin, 
then  must  he  "remain  filthy  still."'' 

Sons  of  Perdition. — One  class  alone  remains  out- 
side salvation's  pale,  permanently  condemned — they 
who  commit  the  unpardonable  sin,  the  sin  against 
the  Holy  Ghost.  For  them  there  is  no  forgiveness.  But  one 
must  receive  the  Holy  Ghost  before  he  can  sin  against  it, 
must  have  knowledge  and  power  sufficient  to  entitle 
him  to  celestial  exaltation ;  and  then  prove  ut- 
terly recreant  to  the  great  light  that  has  come  to  him. 


h,  D.  &  C.  76:110-112. 
i,  lb.  88:21-40. 


Z22  BEYOXD  THE  HORIZOX. 

Such  a  sin  can  be  committed  only  by  men  equipped  with 
every  qualification  for  the  highest  degree  of  eternal  glory. 
It  is  an  offense  so  heinous  that  the  sinner  cannot  repent. 
This  is  what  makes  his  case  hopeless;  salvation  being 
predicated  upon  repentance.  If  he  could  repent,  he  could 
be  forgiven ;  but  being  unable  to  repent,  incapable  of  ref- 
ormation, he  cannot  be  reached  by  the  pardoning  power. 

They  who  commit  the  sin  unpardonable  are  as  first- 
cabin  passengers  who,  in  the  full  enjoyment  of  every  pri- 
vilege and  advantage  pertaining  to  that  highly  favored 
condition,  wilfully  throw  all  away,  and  recklessly  fling 
themselves  overboard,  to  go  down  in  unfathomable 
depths.  Sons  of  Perdition,  these — "the  only  ones  on 
whom  the  second  death  shall  have  any  power" — "the  only 
ones  who  shall  not  be  redeemed  in  the  due  time  of  the 
Lord."  They  "deny  the  Son,  after  the  Father  has  re- 
vealed him.     Wherefore,  he  saves  all  except  them."-' 

Desires  As  Well  as  Deeds  a  Basis  of  Judgment. — But 
the  final  word  was  not  yet  spoken.  At  a  date  subsequent 
to  that  upon  which  Joseph  and  Sidney  received  this  won- 
derful manifestation,  the  heavens  were  again  opened  to 
the  Prophet,  and  he  beheld  the  glory — the  transcendant 
glory  of  the  Celestial  Kingdom,'^  He  saw  that  little  chil- 
dren, those  "who  die  before  they  arrive  at  the  years  of  ac- 
countability," are  saved  in  that  kingdom.  He  also  saw 
his  brother  Alvin — a  good  and  worthy  man,  but  one  who 
had  not  been  baptized,  he  having  died  before  the  Gospel 
came — saw  him  in  celestial  glory !  Joseph  marveled  at 
the  sight,  wondering  how  Alvin  could  have  risen  to  so 
exalted  a  plane.  Then  came  the  voice  of  the  Lord  to  him, 
savins:: 


;,  D.  &  C.  76:31-44. 

k,   February   16th,    1832,   was   the   date   of  Joseph   and    Sidney's 
vision;  January  21st,  1836  the  date  of  the  other  manifestation. 


THE  GOAL  ETERNAL.  323 

''AH  who  have  died  without  a  knowledge  of  this  gos- 
pel, who  would  have  received  it  if  they  had  been  permit- 
ted to  tarry,  shall  be  heirs  of  the  celestial  kingdom  of 
God;  also  all  that  shall  die  henceforth  without  a  knowl- 
edge of  it,  who  would  have  received  it  with  all  their 
hearts,  shall  be  heirs  of  that  kingdom;  for  I,  the  Lord, 
will  judge  all  men  according  to  their  works,  according  to 
the  desire  of  their  hearts.^ 

Mormonism's  Magnanimity.— And  yet  "Mormonism" 
is  said  to  be  narrow,  small  and  illiberal.  Narrow,  for- 
sooth! Then  where  will  you  find  breadth?  Where  find 
justice,  mercy,  magnanimity,  if  not  in  a  religion  that 
saves  the  living,  redeems  the  dead,  rescues  the  damned, 
and  glorifies  all  who  repent?  "Mormonism"  a  small 
thing?  It's  the  biggest  thing  in  the  universe!  It  is 
the  Everlasting  Gospel,  the  mighty  soul-ship  of  the  dis- 
pensations, launched  in  the  days  of  Adam  upon  the  heav- 
ing ocean  of  the  ages,  and  now  on  its  last  voyage  over 
the  stormy  billows  of  Time  to  the  beaconing  coast  of 
Eternity. 

/,  Hist.  Ch.  Vol.  2,  p.  380.     Compare  Alma  29:4,5. 

We  are  not  to  infer  that  Alvin  Smith  or  anyone  else  could 
inherit  celestial  glory,  without  receiving  the  fulness  of  the  Gospel. 
It  was  a  prophetic  vision,  showing  what  would  be  when  Alvm  had 
done  his  part,  and  the  part  that  he  could  not  do  had  been  done 
for  him.  The  same  vision  showed  the  parents  of  the  Prophet- 
Joseph  and  Lucy  Smith— in  celestial  glory;  and  yet  at  lhat  time 
they  were  still  alive  on  earth. 


Date  Due 

Kii---^  r^ 

',iirft_i,^;-Y^ 

^ 

